Infiltration
by hiholly123
Summary: After stumbling across a large source of magic in Britain, Foaly sends none other than Artemis Fowl to investigate Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, disguised as an exchange student from Ireland. Possibly minor A/Holly. T for (maybe) romance, maybe language. Chapter 20 now up!
1. Chapter 1: A Call in the Night, er, Mor

**AN: ****This is my new crossover (lol, but not only XD). Yes I know, it's a bit overused. But I've read so many good HP/AF crossovers that aren't ever finished. I hope not to do that. So. Here we go, I suppose. Just FYI - I am NOT ditching the Crossover, so no fear! Chapter 3 will be up soon, I'm sooooooo sorry about the delay! XO**

**This takes place in the HP gang's sixth year, and after TAC. *winks***

**Disclaimer: Yes! I do own Artemis Fowl and Harry P-**

***shots fire***

***hiholly dies***

**Artemis: hiholly does NOT own mine or Mr. Potter's series'. Thank you, and she would wish that you don't sue.**

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><p><strong>Infiltration: An Artemis FowlHarry Potter Crossover**

_hiholly123_

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><p>Chapter 1: A Call in the Night...Er, Morning<p>

No one is ever gracious when called at three in the morning, so it was with understandable irritation and plenty of eye-rubbing that Artemis answered the ringing sound emerging from his fairy communicator.

"Hello?" he sighed in Gnommish, not trusting himself to stay awake if he lay down once more.

"Artemis, we need to talk."

Groaning inwardly, the boy genius cleared his throat. "What about, Foaly?"

The centuar whinnied excitedly. "I just found something. Something extremely important. Here, I'll e-mail you the info." There was a loud, clattering sound as Foaly attacked the keys on his keyboard.

"Mind you, it is three o'clock AM," Artemis pointed out as he forced himself out of bed and ambled to his laptop that sat on the desk in the corner, sitting straight in the chair and holding back a yawn.

Foaly didn't respond for a moment, and Artemis took the time to take a brief look at himself in the dark monitor in front of him. His mismatched eyes were wide open but weary, his hair ruffled with sleep. The silk pajamas he was wearing were creased and as messy as his hair. The ring he held up to his ear made it appear as if he were talking on a pretend telephone. He smirked at the thought.

"Well, this couldn't wait, so shut your face," Foaly grumbled, startling Artemis out of his self-examination. The fifteen-year-old boy shook his head, now more irritated with himself, and turned on the laptop. The screen brightened and swiftly readied itself for use.

"Check your e-mail," Foaly prodded eagerly. Artemis could almost imagine him hopping up and down in place. He smirked yet again as he clicked over to his e-mail and opened up Foaly's message.

"Are you reading it?" the centaur queried. The sound of fingernails snapping on a hard surface erupted through the communicator.

"I can't possibly read if you continue to make such a racket," Artemis commented coolly.

"Here's an idea - why don't you read it out loud? I wouldn't mind hearing you admit that I discovered something before you."

The teenager was not impressed. "Again - three in the morning, Foaly. I really should be whispering, as Myles and Beckett's rooms are down the hall. In fact, I should be asleep. And I hardly think you need another inflation to your ego."

"Fine. You know what? I'll just read it to you," Foaly muttered, an eye-roll in the words. "Happy?"

"Delighted. Now read, if you will." Artemis cast his eyes on the words on the screen but not reading them, waiting for his friend's voice on the other end.

Foaly loudly cleared his throat, attempting importance. "Ahem. At precisely two forty-five AM, I stumbled upon an unnaturally steady pulse of magic in Britain. In fact, there were several places across the country that were spotted with magic. Most of them were small and unimportant, but there was one area that caught my attention. If you'd look at the picture I put in..."

Artemis leaned forward, examining the reading Foaly had included in the e-mail. Most of the picture was blue, with odd spots of orange-red here and there, peppered around. He assumed that the color showed where magic was present. But there was one extremely large blot on one side of the country, in no way normal. Oddly enough, it was a nearly perfect circle, not at all a natural occurrence.

"Could it possibly be Opal?" he asked darkly, glancing over the spot again.

"Let me finish," Foaly ordered, his voice almost gleeful. Because of that, Artemis found he could safely rule out a plan of Opal's. Despite his gigantic ego, the centaur had a generally good sense of what was serious and what was entertaining. Bad and good.

"I had a camera near there," Foaly went on, no longer reading straight from the e-mail any longer, but the words flowing out fast and furious, unplanned, "and I decided to take some videos, and then after that I took pictures each second, and after a few minutes, I got this."

Artemis took that as his cue to scroll down on the e-mail to see another section of pictures, as well as a short video. He played the video first.

The scene was an old, rotting hut, seen from a view in the trees close by, with yellowed grass surrounding it. Throughout the whole video, which was nearly a minute long, crickets chirped in the darkness, owls hooted, and the hut stood still and dead in its place. When the video ended, the boy genius rolled down to view the pictures.

The first one was of the hut again, as slumped and uninhabitable as possible. But the next...the next...the next was that of a huge, monstrous castle, with tall stone towers and a lake nearby, the landscape dotted with a few trees, and a small house at the edge of a dark, chilling forest. Few windows were lit in the castle, but there were some, perhaps two or three. Unfortunately, not a soul was in sight.

And the next picture was the hut again.

"Taken with our most high-tech cameras," Foaly bragged. "Intrigued yet?"

A smile quirked on Artemis's lips. "What a foolish question, my friend. But what, pray tell, do you expect to do with this information?"

"There's mo-ore!" Foaly sang. Hooves clacked loudly in the background as the centaur did a second-long jig in place. "I watched up until I called you, and from that I found some interesting information."

Artemis hoped his silence indicated Foaly to continue.

Apparently so.

"We already had some files on the place, and I managed to get ahold of them. This was done by humans. Not fairies." He sounded positively eager.

"I'd like to see these files," Artemis said quietly, already mulling over what role his was in this plan. If there was a plan. "I assume, since you called, you mean for me to assist you."

"You're the only human we know that fits the bill, Artemis," Foaly continued, "and now that your Complex is gone, well, for now, you'll be of a lot more use."

The boy winced, and then fully registered the sentence. "Pardon. 'Well, for now'? What is that suggesting, exactly?"

To say the least, Artemis did not like to talk about the Atlantis Complex, not whatsoever. He considered it the past, and refused to call it to attention. Things had been a success, considering that he and his mother managed to keep Artemis Sr away until the boy genius was better, and then put off the illness as an anxiety attack that was potentially damaging, and that it hadn't been safe for him to be visited. Although Angeline had wanted to inform her husband of the fairy existence, Artemis insisted on trying their best to convince his father that fairies did not exist, and his son had never been committed to a hospital for the mentally insane. The only bad side was that Artemis occasionally had to pretend he was having another attack to avoid suspicion. It had become quite a pain. And of course, he disliked bringing up his insanity.

"You'll understand," Foaly assured, a little uneasy. "I'll just fax you the files, okay?"

"That would do," Artemis agreed, but his voice was coated with suspicion that he didn't bother to hide. "I can look at them tomorrow, if you don't mind me delaying. I am quite tired after all."

"Whatever. Just don't keep putting it off, alright?"

"I am not a procrastinator, Foaly." Artemis made sure his fax machine was on, and listened to it hum as it printed out the files. After a good twenty minutes, Foaly announced that he was done and the boy dug out an unused folder and carefully lay the papers inside.

"I will call you back when I am finished," he informed the centaur as he turned off his computer and crawled into bed.

"Fine. I just have one request. I think you'll agree."

Artemis held back a yawn. "And that request would be...?"

"Don't tell Holly. It's only been a few months since the Complex, and..."

"Ah. I understand," Artemis interjected.

"Good. 'Night."

"Goodnight, Donkey Boy," Artemis snickered, and before Foaly could reply in kind, he hung up and turned over on his side, eyes closing.

The file waited for him on the desk, seeming to buzz with energy.

The beginnings of another adventure.

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><p><strong>AN: Ooh, dramatic. XD<strong>

**I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review. If you leave a review, I'll be happy, and if I'm happy then I'll write more, and when I write more I'll post more, and when I post more, you'll (maybe) be happy, and when you're happy you'll (hopefully) review, and on and on and on.**

**So please make me happy, and please leave a review on this chapter telling me how I can improve. I'll try to check out your guys' work, too! **


	2. Chapter 2: Opperation Infiltration

**AN: Welcome to Chapter 2! I'm glad to see you've stuck with me. Anyone who's reading this right now, thanks a bunch, I really appreciate it, even if you haven't commented or anything. I never expect much, so I'm pleased pretty easily. XD**

**Now hiholly will answer a question submitted by a reader in the comments.**

**CansIHasYaoi: Thanks! And thanks again! The pairing's not Artemis/Harry, even though it says A/H. It's Artemis/Holly, sorry I confused you. Maybe I'll make some room to add "no slash" in the summery so that it doesn't happen again. I really appreciate the review, and I also noticed that you added the story to your alerts. Thanks for that - it means a lot to me. :D This update is mostly thanks to you - I'm glad you like the story!**

**I'd also like to thank The Battle of Words for adding the story to their alerts, too. :D Thanks!**

**Now that we did that, here's the second chapter of **_**Infiltration.**_

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl. If I did...*daydreams***

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><p><strong>Infiltration: An Artemis FowlHarry Potter Crossover**

_hiholly123_

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><p><em>Chapter 2: Opperation Infiltration<em>

Artemis flipped through the papers in the file with ease, not just scanning them over, but reading each word as if it had a double meaning, as if it were part of a secret code. It very well might be.

He was nearing the end of the file; there were only a few pages seperating him from the back of the folder he had settled them in. So far, he had gained only valuable information, and a plan was already taking shape in his mind. He thought himself slightly foolish to think that Foaly would have thought up a plan in a short fifteen-minute stretch, but it had been three in the morning, so he dismissed it as exhaustion.

Next page.

And the next.

The next.

_Wizards, _he thought, amused, _how quaint. _When he had first found the word located in the file, he had been a bit cautious. The existance of fairies was one thing, he found, the existance of wizards another. But they weren't altogether too different. They both shared magic, albeit different kinds. They both kept their locations and the secret of their existance hidden. Neither really knew about the other. And neither considered themselves at the level of non-magical humans. In fact, they considered themselves above it. High above it.

Or so the file said.

Artemis flipped the folder closed, satisfied, and began to go over the information in his mind.

The wizarding community was quite large, he had discovered as he read through the file, located primarily in Britain. The government of the wizarding world - as it was called - was a certain ministry that was set underneath London, deep enough to be hidden from non-magical persons, called muggles, but not too deep as to interfere with the People's business. Developing witches and wizards in Britain, and all around the world, really, often came to a wizarding school, amusingly titled Hogwarts. The headmaster of the school was a Professor Albus Dumbledore, a certified teacher and well-like across the wizarding world. He was in charge of four houses - Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. Each represented a set of characteristic of someone. Brave, cunning, intellegent, and so on. Slytherin was said to produce mostly evil witches and wizards, out to harm muggles or muggle-borns that went to Hogwarts, so Artemis fervently hoped that he would not be dealing with that particular house.

There were seven years in Hogwarts as well, the youngest being eleven and in year one, the oldest seventeen and in year seven. Unlike the muggle world, people were considered adults at age seventeen, not eighteen. The Ministry of Magic, as the government was titled, made sure no student younger than seventeen used magic outside of school, otherwise they would be expelled and sent away from the wizarding world permanantly. All students were required to take tests called O.W.L's, and N.E.W.T's in school, although the file hadn't said exactly when those tests were to take place.

The wizarding world also had sports. Well, a sport really. The activity was called Quidditch, and it was apparently played on flying broomsticks, a thought that both amused and terrified Artemis. He wasn't exactly physically fit, as so many people that knew him could tell you. He knew he would not be playing this game whatsoever. Flying broomsticks was not a thrilling factor, in his opinion. Furthermore, the two teams playing had to toss around a ball called a Quaffle, and had to throw this ball into several rings stationed up in the air, supported by large posts. From the pictures Artemis had seen, the posts and rings much resembled bubble wands towering up from the earth. These facts were less than exciting as well. What made the sport even more dangerous was that two large, bowling ball-sized spheres called Bludgers zoomed around the field and tried to knock players off their brooms. Two people on the team had to make sure the Bludgers went nowhere near their players and instead injured the other team's. One witch or wizard's job in Quidditch was to catch a small, golden object with wings called the Snitch. The Snitch was said to be light, fast, and extremely difficult to find, let alone capture in your hands. No, Artemis did not plan on playing this particular game.

With all this information turning over in his head, the boy genius began to develop a plan. He wasn't exactly excited for this assignment, not completely. For he now understood why the Atlantis Complex would be returning to him. The very thought made him shudder, and his hands started to shake just slightly. Never as hard as they had when he had sat in Dr. Argon's clinic, thankfully.

This would not be an easy job.

But then, it never was.

"I have assembled you all here today to discuss my plan of action. I have spent an entire two days formulating this procedure, and should it go awry, I would be extremely displeased."

Three of the four fairies in front of him rolled their eyes and mumbled to themselves something along the lines of, "no one cares." Artemis couldn't help but smile devilishly at that.

"Can you just get a move on, Artemis?" Holly complained. Internally, the genius sighed. After a brief argument with Foaly, along the lines of, "Holly needs to be involved, now shut it donkey boy" "no, I think it's you that needs to shut it", ect., they had agreed that Holly had to help, otherwise things would get complicated. But that didn't mean that she would make everything easier. She still didn't appreciate the fact that they had even contemplated not telling her about it, and was currently fuming, as Artemis very well knew.

"Of course," he replied silkily. "I apologize."

Trouble Kelp rolled his eyes. _Yeah, right, _he scoffed. Artemis pretended not to notice the movement.

"My friends, the plan is actually quite simple. There is little work required of any of you, besides No1. I am sorry, truthfully." The geinus gave a small smile at the warlock stationed at the end of the line of fairies.

"It's fine," No1 squeaked, although, by his voice, you could easily tell he was nervous.

Artemis continued, walking along the lines with his hands clasped behind his back. Trouble couldn't help but gleefully imagine handcuffs there. "There is, of course, some work involved, though, not that I expect any of you to be lazy. I call this Opperation Infiltration. Cliche, yes, but also catchy. Simply put, tonight I will be infused with enough fairy magic to last me until the next full moon." All of them glanced up at the full orb hanging in the sky, milky and beautiful in the cloudless night. "I know all of you are filled to the brim, which is why I chose tonight. Tomorrow, Foaly will contact Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and tell the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, that I have recently developed magic. Typically, a wizard, muggle-born or otherwise, comes up with magical abilities around age eleven, but we can always say that I am simply a late bloomer, and request that I be enrolled in the school immediately. The school year hasn't started yet, so we should be ready in time to begin."

"A late bloomer?" Foaly repeated. Rather, blurted out. Then he started laughing, Trouble joining in soon after.

"You two are so immature," Holly muttered, but she was grinning. Artemis just rolled his eyes.

At that comment, Trouble instantly straightened out, as did Foaly.

"We are not," the centaur sniffed, but the blush on his cheeks said otherwise.

Artemis cleared his throat, smiling only slightly. "As amusing as this is," he reminded them, "we have work to be done. Allow me to finish?"

Holly returned the smile, but wider as she gestured for him to go on. "Sure, go ahead."

He bobbed his head at her then stopped pacing as he finished the layout of the scheme. "Hopefully, the headmaster will allow me in, unknowing that I am sporting fairy magic instead of wizarding magic. There shouldn't be a problem with that, however, because I believe that fairy magic could very well power a wand, which is what these wizards and witches use. I will go in and gather as much information as possible. However, I will once again be under the Complex. The pills Holly brought me should help, though, especially on the full moon, when it will be the worst. I'll also have to abide by fairy law during this time, so you will have no trouble from me for the school year, Commander." The genius finished the idea by addressing Trouble and dipping his head in respect.

Kelp thought for a moment. "You would be out of the way for a good few months," he mused. "...Fine. I agree to this hair-brained plan of yours, Fowl. But if it goes wrong, I will not be held responsible. I am not funding this, either; you'll have to pay your own way in."

"Of course, I expected nothing less." Artemis smirked. "Now, are there any questions?"

Holly hesitantly raised a hand. "Artemis...I don't like this. You can't...not again."

He winced. "I am in agreement with you, Holly, I don't much like that bit of it either. But it's nessisary. The pills will help, as I stated. And as soon as the school year is finished, I will have my magic taken and we can easily tell Professor Dumbledore that my magic has simply vanished, for unknown reasons. If he wants to continue relations after that, we will find a way to slowly push him back until he is no longer in our lives. The Complex will be gone once again, and we will have new information to mull over and use to our advantage."

"What about Butler?" she demanded. "Does he know what you're doing?"

Again, the boy winced. "Yes. He only can't be here because he's making sure the twins don't get out of bed and see us here, as well as father. Mother knows as well, although she is on your side, Holly. Butler is, too, but he thought I deserved to make my own decisions. As should you."

She sighed, a little huffily. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, mud boy. If you need Dr. Argon, if it gets that bad, then you're coming back pronto. Got it?"

He dared to smile, just slightly. "Got it."

"Okay, Fowl, so when are we going to give you some fairy magic?" Trouble drawled, sounding confident and cocky. Meanwhile, his insides were churning. What if Fowl found a way to get around fairy law, like he did the time stop? What if he used his magic against the people? But then he remembered the boy as he had seen him in Dr. Argon's clinic when he went to bring Holly more paperwork; edgy, hallucinating, and guilty, even with the medicine, and decided that there might not be as much danger as he feared.

"No1?" Artemis requested, meeting Trouble's eyes as if reading his mind. "How does this happen?"

The warlock shuffled forward. "Well, you have to be at eye level," he began slowly, "and look in my eyes. Don't break eye contact." Artemis dropped to his knees, a little disdainfully because of the dirt that would now be on his Armani suit, and met the imp's eyes. No1 took a deep breath, and then his runes began glowing. Everyone but Artemis blocked their eyes, peering curiously through slightly spread fingers.

Artemis watched as No1's eyes glowed suddenly red, the color wiping out everything else in his vision except the swirling runes that were quickly swarming around him like bees. But his arms were heavy, and he couldn't swat them away, couldn't banish them back to their owner, the warlock standing before him. Heat flashed through the boy's body, like he had been struck by lightning. _This is nothing like the time stream, _he reflected dizzily. His head started spinning as the heat grew, and grew and grew, every other feeling fading into oblivion. Then the heat contracted, pushing into his chest, his heart. Everything else felt chilled, like there was ice all over his skin. But the pulse of heat in his torso beat evenly, not going out, not dying.

And then came the voices.

They whispered to him, telling him things he didn't want to hear. About fairies, about himself, about the way things used to be. His eyes felt like they were stuck open forever, never to shut again, but then they flew closed, and his arms were no longer heavy, and those rose up to meet his ears, trying to block the noise, the light coming from beyond him, the runes burned into his retinas. And he cried, feeling weak and helpless and foolish, not caring if anyone saw him, touched him, heard him. He just cried.

And the runes turned into fours. The fours began hissing. He felt claustrophobic, stuck inside of his own mind. A voice that wasn't his, but yet was, told him to push out, push back, fight this unnatural feeling of the walls closing in, everything closing in on him. It told him how much he should distrust the world, the people he had grown to love and care for. That the things he saw were real, the fours were coming to fight him, drive him to death so mercilessly.

_Artemis, _a familiar, chiming voice called from far away, sounding infinitely concerned. _Arty, don't..._

The heat in his chest pulsed, and then a gasp was torn from his throat, burning as it came up, choking him but also letting him breathe.

_Arty, come on, _the voice urged, _breathe. That's it, mud boy. In and out. _"Keep going..."

His eyes fluttered open when he really heard the words. Not in his head, but outside of him. And he found that he was no longer burning up, and the heat in his chest was almost undetectable now, but still there. Still there. And he could feel something smooth and fabric underneath him. A blanket? Was he in bed? The pillow under his head confirmed this, and he took in an eager breath, happy to find air there, unaware that he hadn't been breathing.

"Feeling better?" Holly asked, her voice soft. He suddenly felt her hand smoothing his hair back away from his face. "That was...pretty scary. Last night, I mean."

His mouth moved, but nothing came out. _Last night?_

"Yes, last night. Give yourself a minute, you'll be able to talk soon."

He looked at her. There was a small, worried smile on her face, and her mismatched eyes were relieved. Her hair was a bit ruffled, but it still looked fine.

"Last night," he finally rasped, his voice scratchy and worn. He glanced at the clock by his bed. "That lasted an entire seven hours."

"Yes. I'm sorry." Her hand moved away, and his pillows were adjusted so that he could sit up. "I don't want to strain you too soon, but...could you sheild for me, Arty?"

He forced a smile. "Sheild, Holly? Surely it's a bit early?"

"Just try, mud boy."

Artemis closed his eyes and thought about it. Sheilding wasn't turning invisible, really, just vibrating fast enough that the naked eye couldn't detect it. He considered that, vibrating. Imagined himself going so fast that he was invisible, off the radar. Gone.

Holly choked on air. "Frond, Artemis!" she hissed. "It worked!"

He let himself slow down, creep to a stop. There was an idiotic smile on his face. "Brilliant," he whispered. "Absolutely perfect." He looked to Holly. "Has Foaly called the professor yet?"

She gave him a fondly annoyed look. "It's six in the morning, Artemis Fowl. No one's awake but us."

He rolled his eyes and sat up further. "I'm sure that's not true." Then he looked around the room. It was his bedroom, totally deserted except for Holly. "Did we sneak in undetected?" he wondered.

She grinned. "Obviously. Once you stopped screaming, Foaly, Trouble and I got you in here. No one even noticed but Butler, and he could only be here for a few minutes. The twins woke up around five and he had to go back and get them to bed. They're asleep again now."

"You forced him to leave?"

"Kind of."

He lied back again. "I was screaming."

"Bloody murder."

He sighed. "D'Arvit."

Holly laughed, stifling it so as not to wake anyone else. "You stopped once we gave you a few pills, but you were still suffering, obviously. You held your breath surprisingly long. I'm just glad you're not dead."

He sighed again, "As am I. I'm also glad that it didn't feel like a full seven hours. That would have been exceedingly torturous."

She smiled grimly. "Sorry. But it was your idea."

"True enough."

"I'll tell Foaly to call Dumbledore soon. Is that okay? Maybe at a decent time, like ten."

Artemis let his eyes close. They were feeling suddenly heavy. "Ten is fine," he murmured.

After a moment of silence, the elf resumed combing his hair out of his eyes. "Sleep well, Arty," she whispered. "If this works, we're going school shopping soon."

"School shopping," he muttered, "wonderful."

The last sound he heard before he slipped into sleep was Holly's small sigh.

"I'm glad you're okay, Arty."


	3. Chapter 3: Arrangements

**Something I (stupidly) forgot to mention.**

**This story will pretty much follow HP 6's plot, but with Artemis and the faries thrown in, along with some general confusion from the HP gang about who Artemis actually is. Thank you for putting up with my forgetfulness.**

**Now for some thanks and review replies. ;)**

**Black Indy: Thanks, and sorry for the super-long wait. I don't have a laptop at my mom's, so I can't upload anything there, and last week when I was with my dad we didn't have wi-fi! XO I'm glad you like the story!**

**serryblack1: Sorry, the pairing's not Artemis/Harry. I hope you still enjoy the story, though.**

**starrdevil: I'm planning a little, if you squint. It's one-sided, but still. XD When I was thinking about it, I also thought of your review, and I grinned. Partly because of your comment, and partly because Hermione's in denial. XP**

**The Dark Strategist: Thanks, I really appreciate you saying that. :D Here's an update for you, sorry for such a long wait.**

**Loella: Thanks! Actually, it's a bit of a cliche, but this particular cliche is often written badly. Such things make me sad. XD**

**And thanks to everyone who added this story to their favorites, story alerts, or anything else. It gives me the fuzzies. XD **

**And now what we're all looking forward to **_**so**_**very much: the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: To my great dismay, I do not own Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter, or Harry Potter 6's plot. :( And I never will.**

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><p><strong>Infiltration: An Artemis FowlHarry Potter Crossover**

_hiholly123_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 5: Arrangements<em>

Two weeks later, an owl was found perched on Artemis's windowsill, clutching a yellowed envelope in its beak.

Holly was the one who noticed it first. Artemis was in the bathroom, and she'd been left to sift uneagerly through the file Artemis had lent her a few minutes previously. It wasn't like she wasn't excited, if not utterly nervous, but she had never liked reading boring files, especially when she was bored to begin with.

So when the owl rapped impatiently on the window, she looked up, blinked, and abandoned the folder on Artemis's bed without further hesitation.

Once she had retrieved the letter from the owl, and rewarded it with a handful of nuts she found residing in a bowl on her friend's desk, she fled to the restroom and banged urgently on the door.

"Artemis!" she called. She wasn't worried about Mr. Fowl or the twins hearing her - Angeline had ushered them out for a day on the town to give her eldest son space to begin his latest scheme. "An owl brought you a letter!"

The door was instantly opened, revealing a clearly tense boy genius.

Holly handed him the envelope.

He snatched it from her and stepped into the hall, absently closing the door behind him. He popped the seal that clasped the envelope tightly shut and pulled out an assortment of folded pieces of parchment.

Without a word, Artemis began seperating the papers and headed briskly to his room, Holly easily keeping pace with him. The pair sat tensely on the bed when they arrived. Holly was pleased to find that the owl had left.

"Should I read aloud?" Artemis asked politely, but his eyes were filled with anxiouness. "He fiddled with the first paper, obviously more nervous than was expected.

"Sure," Holly replied, casually leaning on her elbow. But her heart was pounding.

The boy beside her nodded and cleared his throat. There was a long moment of silence, and then...

"Dear Master Fowl,

"As you probably know, Mr. Stallion of the Ministry of Magic has informed me that your magical abilities have just recently developed. This type of occurrence is rare, and must not be dealt with lightly.

"However, I don't believe that there will be a problem accepting you into Hogwarts."

Holly and Artemis breathed a simultanious sigh of relief. Despite not wanting her friend to venture into the world of wizards, Holly was getting excited. More so than before, anyhow.

Artemis smiled faintly then, and continued with a voice coated with gratefulness.

"I would normaly put you in with the first-years, but I am well aware that you are intellectually equiped for more. So I have set you up with a dormatory and classes with the sixth-years.

"You have not taken your O.W.L's, unfortunately, but I think you'll manage without them for now. But come next year, perhaps, you might be looking at some private lessons and exams.

"In any case, I have included the normal letter for Hogwarts students for you. It contains the list of materials you'll be needing this year as well as other important information, so be sure not to disregard it. Best wishes, Professor Albus Dumbledore."

Artemis sighed heavily at the end, the hints of another smile on his pale lips.

"Mr. Stallion," he chuckled finally, placing the parchment on his desk, "how clever, Foaly."

Holly huffed, stifling a small laugh.

"What about that materials list?" she prompted after a moment.

Casting at tiny grin at her, Artemis picked it up. "Right," he began, returning to his normal state of stiffness. "Let us start then."

* * *

><p>Days after the letter arrived, Juliet, Holly, Artemis, and Butler loaded into the Lear jet, and were shipped off to London.<p>

Butler was flying, while the other occupants discussed their plan of action, and reviewed the materials list. The bodyguard was a bit moody, as he was not going to be accompanying his charge into the Diagon Alley, the area of shops where wizards bought things, mostly having to do with Hogwarts. Juliet and Holly would be looking after Artemis, true, but the eldest Butler still felt uneasy.

"We shall gather my school supplies," Artemis was saying. "Juliet shall act as my sister, and Holly, you will fly above us, sheilded. Once we have everything required, we'll go back to the Manor and I can then practice with my magic."

"Dom's going to watch the jet, yeah?" Juliet spoke up.

Artemis bobbed his head. "Yes."

"And another question - doesn't school start in a few weeks?"

"It does."

"Then why not just stay in London?"

Artemis frowned. "I think it would be unwise to practice fairy magic around wizards-"

"Oh, shut up," Holly muttered. "Let's just follow the plan, shall we?"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Would you rather I go over it again?" Artemis asked, almost innocently. If you ignored the vampire smile spreading over his face.

"No, no, never mind me," Juliet said hurriedly.

Butler chuckled.

* * *

><p>Artemis studied the run-down building with undisguised curiousity, while Juliet tapped her foot impatiently.<p>

"It appears to be disguised," he finally declared, and then proceeded to summon the magic inside him. Blue sparks flickered around him for a moment, and then he blinked and saw the sign. "'The Leaky Cauldron'," he read aloud. "Hm."

"Um, Artemis, I don't see anything," Juliet mentioned.

The geinus turned back to her momentarily. "I believe it's only meant to be seen by magic folk. Trust me."

Despite her common sense, she did.

So she followed him inside, and was almost startled. Almost.

The place was utterly empty, but it looked to be a resturant. An elderly man was cleaning up behind the counter, washing dishes. There was still a large pile of things to be dealt with. He looked up as they entered, then went back to work.

"Let's continue," Artemis said, a bit quieter than normal. He briskly found his way to the back door, Juliet right behind him. Once there, he pushed it open and emerged into the sunlight.

They came face-to-face with a brick wall.

Juliet wrinkled her nose. "Mmn," she muttered. "What a wonderful place to shop."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Patience," he chided, and stepped in front of the older girl. He remembered the instructions on one of the papers he had been sent, and precisely tapped a few choice bricks.*

To Juliet's supreme surprise, the wall seperated down the middle, forming a strange arch. Beyond the arch, people wearing odd robes were bustling about in tight groups, keeping to themselves and not looking others in the eye. Families would dash into stores and return with broomsticks, or owls, or containers of alien objects. Nobody laughed, or smiled much at all. A chill of forboding rose gooseflesh on both people standing in the arch.

Juliet managed to shrug it off and turned to Artemis. "What's first?" she questioned.

He blinked. "Hmm?" His voice was distant; he was thinking.

"What's first?" the female wrestler repeated. Despite the fearful air, there was still plenty of chatter, so their conversation didn't go noticed.

Artemis hastily took the list out of his pocket. "Ah...we must get wizard money first, then get my schoolbooks."

"How are we supposed to get wizard money?" Juliet grumped.

"There's a bank," Artemis answered evenly. "Run by goblins, apparently." He smirked.

His accomplice, however, paled slightly. "Do they throw fireballs?" she asked cautiously.

The resident genius rolled his eyes. "Obviously not," he snickered.

Feeling a bit scolded, Juliet huffily asked, "Well, what are we waiting for?" Artemis simply shrugged and began walking, leaving Juliet to uncertainly follow him, and Holly to float high above their heads.

Sometimes Juliet wondered how her brother put up with Artemis's antics.

The two (well, three, really) sped along and got most of their muggle money exchanged for gleaming galleons, sickles, and knuts at Gringotts, the wizard bank. They also set up a vault, and poured enough money in it to last them a year or so. The plan was to withdraw most of it at the end of the year, turn most of that into muggle money, and return to the muggle world, most likely never to grace Gringotts again unless nessesary.

Then they went off to gather books, potions supplies, a number of other things, and then robes.

At Madam Malkin's shop, Artemis was fitted with his own jet-black robes. Madam Malkin fawned over him, assisted by a much too eager Juliet.

"You look brilliant, dear," Malkin said, touching up the last to his outfit. "You say you're an exchange student?"

"Yes," Artemis answered.

"You'll have a good time at Hogwarts," the woman went on. "Despite its recent problems, it's a marvelous place."

Both Juliet and Artemis wisely chose not to ask, before they were ushered out and replaced with new customers.

"Where next?" Juliet wondered, as they stood outside the store.

Artemis glanced at his list. "I would rather not get an owl, cat, or toad...so it appears we're finished."

Juliet instantly perked up, but not because of his statement. "Ooh!" she cried. "Look there - 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes'. Sounds like a joke shop."

Artemis became slightly paler. "Juliet-"

"Don't be a spoilsport! C'mon!" She took him by the elbow and forcefully pulled him towards the store.

They arrived inside, and were greeted with shelves and shelves of lights, boxes, and assorted other items.

Juliet whistled, a gigantic grin on her face.

Just then, a boy with flaming red hair and freckle-dotted cheeks breezed up to them, wearing distinctive staff robes.

"Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he greeted, holding out a hand for Juliet to take. "George Weasley, at your service."

She shook it. "Juliet Butler."

George then extended a hand to Artemis, which the younger boy took and shook firmly. "Artemis Fowl." He was a little annoyed with Juliet for calling herself 'Butler' instead of 'Fowl', but he was considering having them be adopted anyhow.

"Brilliant," George beamed. "Now, what exactly are you interested in?"

Juliet smirked. "Whatever you got."

Minutes later, she was piling tiny boxes of 'Patented Daydream Charms' into Artemis's uneager arms, while carrying her new pet, Pygmy Puff Diana.

"Get it?" she had teased. "Artemis, Diana?"

Unfortunately, he did.

Now, she was leading him past a bushy-haired girl who was applying a yellow paste to one of her eyes, which was blackened, and to a display of something called 'The Sheild Hat'. Artemis might have snickered, if not for the boxes in his arms.

Just as Juliet was handing him one, he said, "D'Arvit, Juliet, we've forgotten my wand."

She froze and stared at him. "Really?" she grumbled. "_Really?"_

"Yes, really."

"You're a first-year?" a voice said from behind him. "You don't look it."

"Exchange student," Artemis was saying, even as he turned around. He came face-to-face with a boy that looked somewhat like George - red hair, freckles, similar facial features - only younger.

"Really? That's odd."

Artemis inwardly sighed. "Yes, well."

The boy, he noticed, was also carrying a stack of boxes and other trinkets. "I'm Ron," the boy introduced. "I would shake your hand, but..."

"Understood. Are you related to George by chance?"

Ron gave him an odd look. "Uh, yeah. I'm Ron Weasley, Fred and George's younger brother."

Artemis didn't know who Fred was, but he assumed by the "Weasleys'" in the title that there had been at least two people that owned it. Fred was mostly likely another brother of Ron's.

"I thought as much. Could you point me in the direction of the wand shop?"

Ron gestured to it with a tilt of the head. "Ollivander's gone, though," he said ruefully. "You won't get anything there."

Artemis huffed. He might have to break in. "Thanks anyway," he sighed.

"What year are you in, before you go?" Ron asked, meeting his eyes curiously.

"Sixth," Artemis replied breifly. "Juliet, can you get a bag, _please?"_

She glared at him, vanished in the crowd, then returned with a bag with the shop name in magenta on the side. She slowly filled it up, looking annoyed. She had clearly already paid. Probably while Artemis and Ron had been talking. Nodding to the other boy, Artemis led the way out of the shop, in the direction Ron had indicated.

"Where are you going?" Juliet demanded after a moment. "You heard the kid - the guy who owns the place is gone."

He kept walking.

"Artemis!" Juliet hissed, reaching for his wrist. But before she could grab him, he spun around, eyes glinting mischeviously.

"Cover me, will you?" he requested, then flickered out of sight. Juliet swore.

Smirking, Artemis headed to Ollivander's. To everyone else, he looked like a slight haze, as he didn't have a Shimmer Suit like Holly, which would make him entirely invisible. Fortunately, he could make do.

He crept up to the shop and opened the door a crack to slip inside. He closed it silently behind him once in, and gazed around the room with a good deal of awe.

There were ever more shelves that in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and all of them were filed with boxes, presumably holding wands.

Artemis took a deep breath and unsheilded before reaching for the nearest box and opening it amid a cloud of dust.

He held it loosely in his fist and flicked it sharply. A box flew from across the room and stuck him in the head. His vision clouded.

When it cleared, he was breathing hard and leaning on a shelf, the last of the blue sparks that had healed him fading away. He swallowed and shook his head, taking up another box. After returning the first to its place, of course.

This time when he waved the wand, a cloud of dust spewed from the tip and into his face, making him cough and wheeze. Blue sparks found their way to his throat when he began gagging.

When the dust had settled, he promptly returned the wand to the shelf and picked up another. This one caused everything in the room to rattle uncontrollably until he released it.

The next furiously attacked him when he twitched it, smacking him upside the head and summoning a few blue sparks to erase the slight bruises.

Then the next one wriggled out of his grip, flew far away, and slammed itself against a table, nearly snapping itself in half. The next jabbed him in the shoulder repeatedly. The one after caught on fire, then the new one did nothing, the one after that a heady bunch of smoke, and so on. But none benifited him in the least.

So he kept at it.

What felt like hours later, but had really only been one and a half, he took a look around the wand shop, exhausted. He had found soon enough after he started that each wand was different. Differently length, flexibility, wood, and different material inside. When he discovered this, he also realized that the wands were already organized. So he took advantage of this fact and began waving them in order instead of picking random ones off the shelf. It went much faster this way.

That didn't mean, of course, that there weren't a lot of wands.

But it seemed that he'd tried them all, as he stood and gazed out over the place. It was depressing that he couldn't find _his_ wand in all this mess. Not that it should have been anticipated - the place was truely a pig sty.

With a slightly angry sigh, Artemis began to head for the door. He supposed he would have to find another shop, with an expert that could probably help him. He was interrupted, however, when he stepped lightly on something rounded and wooden. The boy genius froze and moved his foot to reveal a dark brown wand lying on the ground. Its box lay nearby, the lid cleanly removed. It was the box that had shot at him.

He gathered it all up and looked on the box's side, where the information was printed.

"'Yew and dragon heartstring, nine and a half inches. Swishy," he read aloud, then took a deep breath.

_This has to be the one,_ he thought. _It's probably the only one left in the store._ With another breath, he closed his eyes, waved the wand...

And went soaring back into the shelf on the far side of the shop.

There was a hot flash of pain, and when Artemis opened his eyes, he saw blue sparks flooding towards his ribs. He suspected he had broken some. For some reason, there was also a closed wand box in his lap. How it got there, he had no clue.

Then he felt the throbbing on the back of his head (quickly being erased by sparks), and knew. It had fallen from the top of the shelf and onto his head.

Groaning slightly, he put the yew wand back into its box and picked up the new wand, feeling quite a bit more tired and hopeless.

"'Oak and unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches, springy'," he mumbled, and twitched the wand in a rather deadpan fashion.

To his surprise, seven Gnommish symbols appeared in front of him, wispy and green. They spelled his name, neatly enough to be read.

"Oak," he muttered, but a smile pulled slightly at his lips. "How ironic."

* * *

><p>"It's about time!" Juliet exclaimed when she saw an Artemis-shaped haze open the door and head toward her. "God, Artemis!"<p>

"Sorry," he said, but he in no way sounded apologetic.

"Did you get a wand?" the female wrestler asked anxiously, much softer.

Then he appeared in front of her, sending her two steps backward. There was a vampire smile on his face, and a wand gripped in his right fist.

"The arrangements have been made," he grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the author's note again at the bottom. XO<strong>

***I wasn't sure how many bricks Hagrid tapped, but I thought it had been a few. In any case, it is in this fanfiction. XD**

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. I start school on Tuesday, so that _might_ get in the way of updates. But probably not, seeing as I usually update at my dad's every two weeks. Sorry about only giving you one chapter after such a long wait, but I don't really have time to give you guys the crap-load of updates you deserve. I will be at my dad's all weekend next week, though, so I'll update then. But usually expect a ton of updates every two weeks, and a big fat nothing in the in-between time. Next week I promise at least two more chapters (seeing as I already have them written, and just need to type them up).**

**Thank you for your support! :D**


	4. Chapter 4: On the Hogwarts Express

***Facing a glowering crowd of furious readers***

**Ummm...sorry?**

***chair is thrown***

**Okay, I can explain. See, I only write chapters up at my dad's (because all we have at my mom's is a laptop I'm usually not allowed to use) and we haven't been at his place lately, we've been with my grandma, who doesn't have internet. What else can I say but I'm really, really super sorry.**

**I want to let you know that I update whenever possible. If I have a few spare minutes, I quickly type what I can up and then save and go where I need to go. It's not like I can really do much else. I also want to thank you all for sticking with me all these weeks when I haven't been updating, and I really appreciate and the Favorites and Story Alert and review e-mails I get. It really makes me happy when I see that I have mail from . So thanks for that, and here's an update in return.**

**Now, for those that reviewed, here are some quick responses, and then Chapter 4. :D**

**hagane-girl: I didn't know that, thanks for the info. :D I may or may not change things, we'll see. Again, really appreciate the review, and the extra information. I think Artemis can pull off a unicorn-based center, despite it's weakness, but we'll see. :)**

**Muse of Storytelling: Aw, thanks. :) I'm glad you like the story.**

**GaBeRock: Thanks. Actually, that's not a bad idea. *considers* Although, any magic at all would cause the Complex, I think, although maybe not. Thank you so much for reviewing and telling me what you thought. :D**

**doctorwho-obsessed - Heh, thanks. :D I noticed to added me as a Favorite Author, Infiltration as a Favorite Story, and to your alerts, as well as reviewed. Thank you for the support! :D :D :D**

**Okay, now that we've got done, let's get on with the show! :D**

**Disclaimer: Some of the spoken lines in this chapter (and probably future chapters) are directly from the books. I do not own aforementioned lines. If you really feel the need to search for them in your HP6 book, feel free. Again - I do not own any lines directly from the books. Some lines have been edited slightly, whether to fit better into the story or otherwise. I also do not own any familiar characters, settings, LINES, or events. Okay, now we can move on.**

* * *

><p><strong>Infiltration: An Artemis FowlHarry Potter Crossover**

_hiholly123_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 4: On the Hogwarts Express<em>

Artemis was...nervous.

He absolutely couldn't believe it.

He, Butler, Juliet, and Holly, who was disguised as a young girl, stood between platforms nine and ten, Artemis with a trolly holding his bags, and the others empty-handed.

"You have to go through the wall?" asked a disgruntled Juliet.

"I do," Artemis replied, and readied himself.

Holly shifted her weight back and forth uncertainly. She was doing a bad job of hiding her anxiousness. "I'll get a visa for the full moon," she promised. "Every month."

Artemis raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised at her commitment.

"I told Angeline I'd keep an eye on you," she admitted.

"Ah," the boy genius said. "Yes, it would be a good idea to honor that."

"You have your pills?" Butler checked, sounding for all the world like a concerned father. "And your acorns?"

Before Artemis could respond, Juliet butted in. She seemed more like a teasing sister than a wrestler. "Don't get caught sneaking out every moth," she warned jokingly. "That would be _bad_."

"Yes, yes, I won't, and I realize that," Artemis rattled off irritably. "Anything else?"

Holly piped up, "You're all filled up? Completely?"

He sighed. "Yes. I won't use magic unless I need to."

Butler smiled, just faintly. "Good. Be careful, Artemis."

The boy softened as he looked up at his bodyguard. "Goodbye, old friend. I'll write. Look out for owls."

"Keep in touch with your phone, too," Holly reminded. "Everything's in Gnommish? No one else can read it?" He nodded. "Don't use it too much, alright? But check your e-mail once a day, when no one else is with you. Foaly will tell you when I'm coming. Text if you need something fast. And-"

"I know, Holly, we went over this at the Manor."

She frowned. "I don't like it. Any of it."

"I'll text Foaly when I get there tonight."

She sighed. More like huffed. "Okay. Fine." She gave him a quick, stiff hug. "Be safe," she cautioned, her voice low.

Juliet ruffled the boy's hair. "Bye, Arty," she said with a huge grin. "I'll watch the twins."

Artemis barely smiled. "Excellent. I send them my regards. Goodbye."

"Write," Holy repeated.

He winked with his one hazel eye. "Of course."

And before he could stop and think about it, he ran towards the wall.

He met it with a mix of fear, nervousness, and buzzing excitement. His eyes were screwed shut, and he tensed as he came closer. His breathing sped up considerably, just as he wondered when he would smash his face in on the bricks...

And then he was on the other side, where a scarlet train waited. He wasn't shaking or anything ridiculous like that, but he was quite shocked. He had known it would work, planned it out in his head. But planning something and doing it are two different things, as he had known, but carelessly ignored.

He shook it off, vowing to do better next time, and looked around the platform.

Families were saying their good-byes, hugging each other, mothers fondly kissing their children, younger siblings asking when they'd get on the train, learn magic. The teens seemed to be more excited than sorrowful, and leapt on the train with their things without a moment's hesitation.

Artemis climbed aboard the train slowly, still getting his bearings as he set off down the train corridor. He looked around for an empty compartment, but there wasn't a good one in sight.

He finally came across one with only three people inside, and slipped in easily. A girl with light blond hair and distant blue eyes had been reading something, but looked up when he came in. She was wearing odd glasses. A plump boy was coming out from under his seat clutching a toad. The last member, a boy with jet black hair, green eyes, and round glasses was staring at him.

"Do you mind if I sit?" Artemis asked politely, even though he was already seated. The black-haired boy seemed about to say as much, but stopped himself.

"Sure!" the blond replied brightly in a cheerful but faint voice. She obviously didn't feel the need to introduce herself, as she simply went back to reading.

The black-haired boy cleared his throat uncomfortably after a moment. "Er...who are you, exactly?"

* * *

><p>Harry felt intensely awkward asking the question, even though it was a perfectly understandable querry. The boy now beside him seemed almost graceful, and he felt somewhat clumsy in comparison. Not to mention that the boy's different-colored eyes were distracting, and appeared to be staring into your soul. The suit just added to his strangeness.<p>

"Artemis Fowl the Second," the boy said, straightening his tie. "And you?"

Both Neville and Luna stared at him, although Luna was still being perfectly polite and cheerful. Neville, however, was in full-blown disbelief.

Harry, despite being surprised, was glad to have someone he didn't know that didn't know him in and was treating him somewhat normally. Even if the boy was an odd Harry didn't quite feel comfortable with.

"Harry Potter," he said, managing to sound just pleased, and hiding the tick of suspicion inside of him.

"I'm Luna," Luna answered next. "Are you muggle-born?"

Artemis's mouth twitched slightly. "I am."

"Oh," Neville sighed, "that explains it. I"m Neville Longbottom. Nice to meet you."

"Same," Artemis replied.

"You can't be a first-year," Luna mused thoughtfully, although she appeared to be once again engrossed in her _Quibbler._

The suited boy nodded. "Correct. I'm an exchange student, actually. My magic just recently developed. I was quite surprised." This time he smiled, ever so faintly.

Harry leaned back in his seat. "What year are you in?" he asked. "I mean..." He fell off into silence.

"I appear to be joining the sixth years," Artemis responded evenly.

Neville bobbed his head. "So you're sixteen."

All of a sudden, a large, evil smile spread over Artemis's face. It made him look like he should be telling scary tales to children. Harry shuddered and imagined the other boy would never have need to buy a vampire costume; he could smile like that and send grown men running and guarding their necks.

"Fifteen, actually," Artemis said.**(1)**

Neville looked as bewildered as Harry felt. "But-"

It was then that Ron and Hermione slipped into the compartment, their prefect badges gleaming.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," Ron sighed longingly. He went to sit by Harry, then spotted Artemis, who had dropped the creepy smile immediately when the two had arrived. "Oh, it's you."

Artemis pulled a tiny, normal smile and dipped his head. "I suppose it is. Ron Weasley, correct?"

Ron nodded.

"You two know each other?" Neville asked.

"Yeah," Ron answered, "we met at Fred and George's store. Who was that girl that was with you?" This last question was directed at Artemis.

The boy in question smirked a little, as if he knew what Ron was thinking. Harry thought he had a good idea of it as well. "My sister," Artemis replied.

Ron went a little pink. Artemis continued to smirk.

Hermione coughed slightly after a moment. "You're Artemis Fowl the Second, aren't you?"

Harry was startled. "You know him?" he blurted.

Luna was blinking and looking mildly interested, while Ron and Neville looked as shocked as Harry.

Artemis, meanwhile, looked only a bit surprised. "Yes I am," he responded. "Your name?"

Hermione readily provided, "Hermione Granger. I didn't know you were a wizard."

"Muggle-born," Artemis told her, almost apologetically. "My magic just came up recently. As I was telling Neville, Luna, and Harry here, I was pleasantly surprised."

She looked incredibly wary, but nodded warmly enough. "Oh. The reason I know you, anyway, is that I saw you on the news a while back, and-"

She was interrupted by a third-year girl, looking breathless and nervous, stepping into the compartment. "I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Artemis Fowl, and Harry P-Potter," she stuttered, turning red. She offered the three boys each a scroll of parchment tied with violet ribbons. Each took one and the girl hurriedly left, clearly anxious.

"What are they?" Ron demanded as the scrolls were hastily unrolled.

"Invitations," Artemis answered, expertly raising a single eyebrow.

"For lunch with...who's Professor Slughorn?" Neville muttered disbelievingly.

Harry frowned as his parchment. "A new teacher," he said. "I suppose we have to go."

"Compartment C, for lunch," Artemis clarified for the occupants that couldn't see the invitations.

Neville's eyes were wide and he fiddled with a loose strand of fabric on his shirt. "What does he want me for?" he questioned nervously.

"Dunno," Ron said.

Harry was seized with the desire to go under the Invisibility cloak and try to spy on Malfoy on the way to Slughorn, and was about to voice it when he remembered Artemis, sitting quietly beside him. He inwardly sighed and bit back the suggestion. After the incident in Diagon Alley with Malfoy, he was seriously wondering if his old enemy was working with Voldemort.**(2)**

"Let's go," he said. "See you Ron, Hermione, Luna."

"Bye," Luna chimed in, and gave a tiny wave at the three boys as they left.

Artemis led the way, a few feet ahead of Harry and Neville, and the Boy-Who-Lived took the opening to whisper to Neville, "Why was Artemis the muggle news, d'you think?"

Neville shrugged uncomfortably. "No idea," he mumbled.

The corridors were packed with people waiting for the lunch trolley, and Harry regretfully discovered that they would have impossible to walk through under the Invisibility cloak without an excess amount of trouble.

At compartment C, they discovered that they weren't the only ones there. Slughorn had, in fact, invited more people.

Slughorn didn't see Artemis at first, leaping up to greet Harry and Neville at once.

"Harry m'boy!" he exclaimed. His bald head and moustache gleamed brightly in the sunlight streaming through the compartment window. "Good to see you! And you must be Mr. Longbottom!"

Neville nodded fearfully.

Then Slughorn noticed Artemis, who was standing coolly outside the compart as if he couldn't care less. The large professor suddenly seemed a bit nervous as he made way for the three to sit down. The other other occupants were a dark-skinned boy Harry recognized as a Slytherin from his year, and two seventh-year boys he didn't know. Then he saw Ginny, looking confused in her squished position in the corner.

"Let's introduce ourselves, shall we?" Slughorn asked, the nervousness masked behind cheer. "Blaise Zabini is in your year-"

Zabini didn't move in recognition; neither did Neville or Harry. Slytherins and Gryffindors didn't get along under any circumstances.

"This is Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you've come across him, Neville, Harry...? No?"

McLaggen was large and had wiry hair. He raised a hand, and the three new boys nodded at him.

"And this is Marcus Belby."

Belby, a thin and anxious boy, smiled shakily.

"And _this_ charming young lady tells me she knows you two!" Slughorn gestured at Neville and Harry.

Ginny gave them a pained look when Slughorn wasn't looking.

"Well, this is pleasant," Slughorn then went on. "A good chance to get to know each of you better. Napkins?"

Slughorn then continued on to smoothly interrogate everyone in the room, starting with Belby (who he didn't seem too pleased with), then moving on to McLaggen, then Zabini, then Neville.

The professor seemed to be turning to Harry, but then kept going and was soon face-to-face with a certain suited teen.

"Artemis Fowl," Slughorn said, sounding incredibly excited. "I was absolutely thrilled when I heard you were coming. Such a pleasant surprise, that was. You don't know this of course, but I was ever so interested when you were pronounced missing in the muggle papers."

Harry looked sharply to the boy beside him. Artemis was at rapt attention, but also managing to look at ease.

"And then three years later, your parents found you again, yes? If you don't mind me asking, where in the world did your other blue eye go?"

Artemis's hand immediately flew to his one hazel eye, an absent look in both it and his blue one.

Then Slughorn's eyes, which had been locked on Artemis's, suddenly were staring at his hand. He stared in confusion for a long while, then murmured, "May I?"

Artemis loosed a breathy, perhaps irritated, sigh and extended his hand as if giving Slughorn a high five. The professor took the boy's wrist and stared some more.

"My, my," Slughorn whistled. "Something _did_ happen to you, didn't it?"

At first, Harry didn't understand. Then after a few moments, he saw. Not only were Artemis's eyes different, so were his fingers. Instead of his index finger coming before his middle, the first finger was second, and the second first. A closer looked revealed that his other hand was normal; fingers correctly aligned.

Finally, Slughorn let go of Artemis's wrist and began talking quickly again. "I won't ask you what happened, as it was most probably an unpleasant experience, but if you wish to tell me, you may. Now, different subject. Your father went missing, too, yes?"

A flicker of emotion passed over the boy's face. Harry felt his original wariness steadily growing.

"He did," Artemis acknowlaged. The emotion was gone as soon as it had come.

"And before he left, the Fowls were involved in criminal activities, yes?"

Harry noticed that Artemis had his normal hand clenched in a tight fist.

"We were," Artemis said. His voice didn't portray any of the emotion his fist was. "But when Father was found, we stayed on the straight and narrow. Are staying." His knuckles were white.

"Excellent, excellent," Slughorn appreciated. "You're a rare one, Artemis. Two different eyes, switched fingers, missing father. Then you go missing yourself, you do. Now a transfer student at Hogwarts. Fifteen and going into sixth year. Even though you'll be sixteen shortly. Not to mention your IQ, my boy. Highest in Ireland, yes?"

"Highest in Europe," Artemis muttered, barely coherent.

Slughorn perked up a bit. "Hm?"

"Highest in Europe," the boy repeated, louder and more clearly.

Everyone but Zabini (who seemed, much like Artemis, unable to show any emotion) looked startled.

"Eh...quite," Slughorn edged, now looking nervous again. He seemed uncomfortable with someone who was much, _much_ smarter than him. Especially with all the boy's suspicious activities. Then Slughorn turned once more, and Harry, despite his wariness of Artemis, could suddenly only feel dread.

Slughorn, in his booming voice, began talking to Harry, the moment the wizard boy had been dreading. Mostly, as Harry had guessed, about the recent battle at the Ministry.

Artemis, who had never heard anything of Harry's ventures, listened attentively. Harry watched his own actions, now aware that there was a genius beside him. He didn't want to seem too wary - just as unsure as one would be when meeting a genius transfer student that had been missing for three years and had returned with switched fingers and mismatched eyes.

Harry suspected it would be a long year.

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><p><strong>AN: And so Potter met Fowl. XD<strong>

**(1) - I'm going to be naughty and go against canon by saying that the Hogwarts school year starts in late August, before Artemis birthday, the first of September. :) So he'll be sixteen soon, don't you worry.**

**(2) - It would be wise to re-read HP6 if you don't have the entire story memorized. I'll mention some things that happen in the book that may or may not be explained, considering the fact that I won't be re-writing the important scenes unless Artemis is directly involved. Or even the semi-important scenes, like the one in the next chapter. :3 I'll try to explain as much as I can if anything comes up in a chapter, but I'll somewhat be assuming that you've read the books and know what I'm talking about. XD If you don't get it, I recommend you read HP6 along with this if it's at all possible for you. Or, you can just quickly look stuff up, if that's what it comes to. :D**

**Okay, so once again, thanks so much for everything. I really appreciate everything you guys do to support me. Sorry for the long wait.**


	5. Chapter 5: Destiny Determined

**Oh. My. Freaking. God.**

**I totally spazzed out when I checked my mail at about five. My inbox is full of e-mails, three of them involving gratifying reviews from completely awesome people. All of your reviews make me extremely happy of course, and when I find out I've been added to more than ten Story Alerts in a week or two...I just end up jumping up and down, totally excited and aching to write a new chapter for you guys. :D**

**And now, I'd like to again thank everyone that reviewed, Favorited, and Story Alerted Infiltraion. I love you all! :D :D And for anyone that's just reading this, not planning on reviewing or anything - thank you as well! :D**

**As you can see, I'm still buzzing with energy, so I decided to give you guys another chapter. :D But first, review responses. If you reviewed today, here are my replies. :)**

**pearlgirl97: Thank you so much! I try to keep everyone in character, and sometimes I'm afraid I don't do very well. This kind of quells my fear. XD Thanks again! As for the house Artemis is going to be in...well, if he's going to find out anything - and from the more, well, honest sources - he's going to have to be in a certain house. You'll see. In advance, I'd like to say I have my reasons. :) But thank you anyway for your opinion, it means a lot. :D**

**doctorwho-obsessed: Hey, I'm glad you're reviewing again. :D As for the werewolf thing...when I read your review...the first thing I did was stare at my iPod screen for a few seconds. And then I started laughing. I have been seriously considering that idea ever since I started writing this. We'll just have to see what happens, I suppose. :D**

**Muse of Storytelling: Oh, thank you. :D I really try to keep everyone in character, I'm glad you like it. And as for the Artemis and the Complex, he just has a few problems with Orion when his pills start to wear off, but nothing else in the beginning. I can just say that as long as he's got his pills, everything's fine. :D **

**Okay. :D Again, thank you everyone reading this, whether you've taken any action other than scrolling through the chapters or not! :D Now, this is the chapter where Artemis is sorted, and a deal is made. After the annoying disclaimer and my usual title-postin', I present to you, "Chapter 5: Destiny Determined"!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any familiar characters, settings, spoken lines, or plot points. If I did, I don't think I would be here. XD**

* * *

><p><strong>Infiltration: An Artemis FowlHarry Potter Crossover**

_hiholly123_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 5: Destiny Determined<em>

Artemis was waiting, a bit shamefully, with the first-years, now clad in his Hogwarts robes. There was a lot of whispering and staring, mostly done by the other new students.

He was standing in a large room, about to head into the dining room (titled the Great Hall). He was to be sorted into his house last, as he wasn't actually in first year.

A stern, black-haired woman named Professor McGonagall had let them in after a large, tall man called Hagrid had taken them to the doors by boat over Hogwarts' large lake. She had explained things to the group of new students, then spoken to Artemis privately.

"You'll be sorted last," she had informed. "Just stay with your house, and more specifically, your year. If you need anything, talk to your Head of House."

Then she was at the front again, and was now leading the new students into the Great Hall.

Despite himself, Artemis felt the stirrings of nervousness again. He cursed it and began walking forward.

Ahead of him, he saw a wooden stool with a ragged old hat on it. Everyone was staring intently at the hat, and Artemis immediately understood why when it began to sing.

It went on about the different houses and their traits (which Artemis already knew about from his research), and then began singing about joining together to defeat enemies. Artemis suspected one of these enemies was the evil Voldemort he had learned of on the train.

When the song was finished, McGonagall began calling first-year's names one by one. The student would stumble anxiously up, put on the hat, the hat would thunder out one of the houses, and then student would gratefully head to their seat. Each and every one of them looked as though, if they were able to sheild, they would. Artemis wasn't seriously considering the idea, but it crossed his mind once or twice.

This routine of sorting went on a while, working down the line quite quickly. Some weren't sorted immediately, but all were still swiftly seated in less than two minutes each. Mostly less than one.

And then McGonagall called, "Fowl, Artemis."

The muggle-borns looked shocked, while the full-blodded wizards just looked confused by the fact that he - a fifteen-year-old - was up there at all.

"Mr. Fowl is a transfer student," McGonagall announced. "He will be entering sixth year with the house he is sorted into." She gestured to him, and he sat on the stool and put on the hat.

It was large enough to slide over his eyes, which mildly concerned him, but his worry was soon wiped away by a tiny voice murmuring in his ear.

"You're an odd one, you are," it mused. "The smarts and wisdom of a Ravenclaw. The bravery of a Gryffindor. The cunning determination of a Slytherin. And the loyalty of a Hufflepuff. You could accomplish great things in each."

There was a long silence from the hat, in which Artemis could hear students whispering. Sheilding didn't seem like too bad of an option anymore, if he ignored the certain chaos that would follow.

Then the hat once again spoke. "I shall do you a favor, Master Fowl. I will make your mission easier."

A chill ran through the boy genius. _My mission?_ he thought, almost bewildered. _What does it know of my mission?_

"I am a smart hat, boy," the voice warned. "I know all the secrets. And I am going to assist you in protecting yours. You will have to pay me back eventually, however."

An unbidden shudder flashed along Artemis's body. There were more whispers.

"I wish you luck," the hat went on. "Your destiny has been determined, hybrid. GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat was abruptly yanked off his head, mussing his hair, and the Hall exploded in cheers.

A bit dazed, Artemis climbed off the stool and walked to the Gryffindor table, where most of the cheering was coming from. He spotted Ron, Hermione, and Neville sitting nearby, and joined them.

"Congratulations," Hermione appraised. "Glad to have you." But by the wary look in her eyes, Artemis severely doubted it.

Neville smiled, a tad shakily, and Ron clapped Artemis on the back. "Welcome to Gryffindor, mate," he said. However, he looked just as sincere as Hermione.

Artemis offered a curt smile and thanked them. As he was speaking, the empty platters in front of them suddenly were overflowing with food.

Ron, not looking at all surprised by the occurance, swiftly loaded his plate with food, while Hermione followed him much more slowly, and with a great deal of concern.

"Where's Harry?" she whispered anxiously.

"Dunno," Ron said, shrugging. "But this chicken is delicious!"

Artemis carefully began placing food onto his plate; chicken, corn, and mashed potatoes. He peered into his goblet, to find it filled with steaming Earl Grey tea. He smirked and took a sip.

Across the table from him, the red-headed girl from Slughorn's compartment was heartily kissing a dark-skinned boy that looked to be a year or two older than her. Ron appeared displeased.

Hoping to ease the tension, Artemis coughed lightly and set down his drink, catching the attention of everyone nearby. He held out a hand. "I don't believe we've met," he politely said to the girl.

She glared at him. "_You_ haven't met _me_," she replied tersely. "I know you from the train."

Artemis resisted the urge to roll his eyes, reminding himself that he wasn't with friends. He wasn't yet sure if he could trust these people. And so he would do his best to be emotionless. "Precisely," he agreed. "I am Artemis Fowl the Second, as you know."

She ignored his hand. "Ginny Weasley. "And this is my boyfriend, Dean. So if you'll leave us be, I'd be extremely grateful." With that, she once again began kissing Dean, without a second look or thought.

Artemis held back a sigh and turned to Ron. "Your sister, then?"

The other boy grunted, which Artemis took to be a yes. He went back to his food.

Throughout the meal, Hermione continued to look concerned. Ron didn't seem to worried at the beginning, but as the night progressed, he began to be just as uncertain as Hermione.

It was when Artemis had cleared his plate and was downing the last of his tea when the doors to the Great Hall burst open and a bloody-faced Harry stomped in. The parts of his face that weren't masked by blood were marred with fury.

He came up to the Gryffindor table and squeezed roughly between Ron and Hermione.

"Where've you - blimey, what've you done to your face?" Ron gaped, his expression like everyone else's in the Hall.

Harry snatched up a spoon and tried to see his reflection in it. "Why, what's wrong with it?"

"You're covered in blood!" Hermione gasped, horrified. "Come here - _Tergo!"_ Her wand was quickly raised, and siphoning the blood off Harry's face.

"Thanks," Harry muttered, feeling his face. "How's my nose looking?"

"Normal," Hermione answered worriedly. "Why shouldn't it? Harry, what happened? We've been terrified!"

Artemis chose this moment to butt in, feeling he had to intervene before Hermione began to really embarrass her friend. "Quite." He was trying to make a point of how concerned she had really been, but by the outraged looks he was getting, he suspected the others had taken it the wrong way.

"'Quite'!" Hermione shrilled, quickly turning red. "You didn't even care! You just sat there like he was right next to us, and didn't even _ask_-"

"I was simply making an observation," Artemis interrupted, "not implying that I myself was at all interested, Miss Granger-"

"Miss Granger!" she repeated, screeching. "You sound like a teacher, you snotty, emotionless-"

"I'll tell you later," Harry cut in, freezing the argument tersely.

Hermione, now distracted from her fued with the genius, began, "But-"

"Not now, Hermione," Harry growled, his expression a dark one. He reached for some chicken and chips **(1)**, but they turned to two different desserts before he could take them.

Artemis, while listening to the conversation, was also a bit taken aback by Hermione's insults. They weren't very severe, but he could feel the Complex creeping at the edges of his mind, making the words more sinister than he would have liked. He knew his entire point was to remain "emotionless", but she acted as if he wasn't just guarding what he felt, but didn't feel anything at all.

_She's not very nice, is she?_ a voice that wasn't quite his own pouted. Artemis felt the quite appealing desire to bang his head several times on the table, but bit it down with a good deal of strength. It would not do to look insane on his first night. He instead contented himself with clenching and unclenching his fists furiously.

_Orion,_ he seethed, _what do you want?_

_To speak to the Princess!_ his alter-ego grumped, more sour than usual. It might have had to do with Artemis's own quickly fouling mood. _But it appears that won't be happening for a while._

_I'll text Foaly after dinner, hm? _Artemis suggested, trying to goad Orion into leaving.

_It's not the same, _Orion sighed wistfuly, then fell wonderfully silent.

_What a blissfully short conversation, _Artemis thought, relieved. He helped himself to pudding, while also working blood into his white knuckles.

_Short!_ Orion wailed longingly.

Artemis inwardly groaned.

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><p><strong>AN: This is one of my favorite chapters. I don't know why, it just is. :)<strong>

**(1) - I am from America. J.K. Rowling is from the UK. Because of this, there is a bit of a problem with, ehm, language. I do believe when she said chips, she was referring to what us Americans call fries. I'm not sure, because I'm not Jo, but I'm assuming. If it's wrong, eh, it doesn't matter. It's a side-dish, one way or another. XD**

**Thanks for reading my chapter, guys! :D Hope you liked it!**

**In order for me to post my next chapter somewhere between today (Saturday, September 24, 2011), and tomorrow night (Sunday, Semptember 25, 2011), I need someone to PM me what Harry's sixth-year schedule is. I want the Golden Trio and Artemis to have some classes together, but I don't want their schedules to be exactly the same, or completely different. The first PM I get telling me, I'll use. Any others, I may or may not have time to respond to. I'll use another one or two after the first to verify the information as well. So far, I only have the beginning of Chapter 6 written, and in order to write more, I need the schedule! If you don't want to PM me the info, or you can't find it or whatever, no pressure! I just may not be updating in a few weeks is all. At the very least, I'll be updating in two weeks. If it's any more than that...sorry. :(**

**All right then. That's all I've got to say for now. I hope you like the chapter, and I'll keep on writing!**

**Oh, wait. The Crossover. Right. I'll be updating that today, too. So for anyone that's also reading that - there you go. :) Thanks again for all your support!**


	6. Chapter 6: Bed and Breakfast

**Alright. Welcome to Chapter 6 of Infiltration!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, Faved, Story Alert-ed, Author Alert-ed, ect, I really appreciate it! :D **

**As for my excuse...Writer's Block and no time whatsoever other than the half-an-hour periods where I sat and stared blankly at the computer screen. Sorry for the delay! Oh, and also, I'm now obsessed with Doctor Who, so I may or may not start something with that...XD We'll just have to see, won't we?**

**And now for our usual reviewer reply section.**

**a light in black: Ha, thanks! I'm glad you like the story, and thank you for telling me what you think. :D**

**Idoloni: Thanks for reviewing. I'm usually a ghost around here, too. Don't really review much - I prefer to enjoy stories by just reading them, although I usually say something eventually about how much I liked/didn't like it. :) As for the fries/chips thing, yeah, it's confusing for all sides. XD And thanks for telling me about the shielding thing. The computer I use is really old and for some reason doesn't tell me when I spell something wrong. I usually don't, but still. *glares accusingly at computer***

**pearlgirl97: Yeah, I figured Artemis would get more accomplished while in Gryffindor, but maybe that's just me. XD As for Hermione being all...bleh...it's sort of explained by Ron in this chapter, but not really. Just a brief little, "um...yeah, she kind of..." because as we know, Ron is often awkward. XD Thanks for reviewing again! :D Oh, and the werewolf thing just gets me every time. XD Like, they threaten him with silver or something (does the silver thing apply in the Potterverse?) and Artemis, being Artemis, is all, "Excuse me? Are you threatening to throw a **_**silver necklace**_** at me?" or something. XD**

**doctorwho-obsessed: Good guess, then. :) And yeah, I've totally been thinking about it. I just think it would be amusing, not to mention degrading to the people that thought Arty was a werewolf. XD See the above reply for my funny (may or may not be used) scenario. XD Thanks for the review.**

**helium man: Hola. ;D Thanks for reviewing, by the way. :) Yeah, Artemis is pretty careful about how he might respond if someone were to ask him, although he doesn't try too terribly hard not to get caught. He'd probably have some excuse ready. "Yes, I do take pills. They're for a life-threatening illness. Problem?" XD Okay, he probably wouldn't say that, but you get the idea. XD**

**Loella: I like Orion, too, and also under the same conditions. He's just so...odd. XD And yeah, Hermione's being a little bit nasty, but that will be briefly explained. But it's not a really in-depth explanation.**

**TheBadgerQueen: Thank you! :D**

**Deadzepplin: Thanks for the advice, and the review. As for Artemis/Holly, I am admittedly a shipper. -_- But not too bad, I hope. I'll try to make them act natural. :D**

**kid-kun: Thank you. :) Yeah, Ginny and Hermione are both a little out of character in Chapter 5, but hey. Artemis in all his expressionless-ness, is probably extremely irritating. XD**

**Magician of Khemet: Thanks. :)**

**ahrua192: Thank you for all the reviews! O.O You reviewed every chapter! :D :D I'm glad you like it. :) Nope, I'm not ditching it. I just don't have a lot of time to write, not to mention the horrid Writer's Block. _ Yeah, Artemis/Holly is the pairing, although there will probably be some hinted Hermione/Ron, and Harry/Ginny. :) Besides the A/Holly thing, all canon shippings. :) I like writing canon, it just makes more sense to me. XD**

**As for the fifteen minutes thing, Foaly didn't come up with all that information by himself in fifteen minutes, he just found a file that already had the information on it from some other time. He didn't write the file either, he just found it. It was full of some fairy's observations. And the Complex is coming back because Artemis once again has fairy magic. He only got the Complex because he was dabbling in it, and now that he's "dabbling" again, it's back. :)**

**The irony with the oak wand is that fairies use acorns to refuel their magic, and acorns, of course, come from oak trees. Since the wand is made of oak, it works with Artemis's fairy magic as well. Added bonus! XD**

**Ginny and Hermione were a little OOC, sorry. XD But clearly, neither of them like Artemis, so that's a good explanation, hopefully. XD Yeah, I know a person can't speak with his alter in real life...but this is fiction! XD That's why it's beautiful. :P**

**Okay, now for the part that nobody really cares about but will hopefully stopped me from getting sued - the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any familiar characters, settings, spoken lines, plot points, ect, ect.**

**Infiltration: An Artemis Fowl/Harry Potter Crossover**

_hiholly123_

_Chapter 6: Bed and Breakfast_

Artemis yawned, placing a pill on his tongue and swallowing it along with a mouthful of water. To say the least, he was exhausted. After the feast, Dumbledore had stood up and made a speech, revealing to the crowd of students a blackened and dead-looking hand, which was met with shocked exclaimations and repulsed whispers from each and every teenager. But the man had paid none of this any mind, and instead had dutifully warned them about straying into the Forbidden Forest, not obeying rules from the caretaker, Argus Filch, among other things, then dismissed them to their dorms with wishes of good dreams.

It had all happened extremely fast, it seemed, and Artemis had found himself among people who gave him odd looks as he walked beside them, people who whispered to others about how odd he was, how much like a Slytherin. Not at all like a Gryffindor. And he felt, for probably the third time in his life, lost. But then he had shaken it off, blaming it on the Complex, and followed Harry, Ron, Dean, a boy named Seamus, and Neville to their dorm, not knowing quite what else to do.

As it turned out, there was a new bed beside Harry's, a fresh one, unused. Everyone had stared at it a moment, as if unsure how they should respond to the new addition.

"Eh, welcome, I suppose," Harry had muttered, and then started unpacking his things.

Now they were all settling down for the night. No one had dropped any questions about the pills yet, but Artemis was just waiting for one of the other boys to wander over and start demanding answers. Fortunately, nothing happened besides a few curious glances, which made Artemis unconsciously relax.

"I'm _tired,_ mate," Ron muttered to Harry, stretching a yawn. "I could sleep forever."

_Are you going to call the Princess now? _Orion demanded Artemis, distracting him from the other teens' conversation. The alter-ego's voice was becoming fainter as the pill began to take effect. Artemis was undeniably relieved.

_No, I won't call her, _Artemis corrected, _I'll be texting Foaly._ He wasn't able to hold back a small yawn. _Holly will probably be reading over his shoulder, though._

_With all due respect, the noble steed really should make room for Miss Short. She is a lady, after all._

_Shush, Orion, _Artemis commanded wearily. _We are not in the medieval times. It is the twenty-first century._

Orion huffed irritably, and seemed about to say something, but was then overwhelmed by the effects of the pill, and was silenced.

"...What about you?" Ron finished. Unfortunately, Artemis hadn't caught the beginning of the sentence.

"Hm?" he asked, turning around to face the others.

Seamus chuckled. "I'd take that as a yes, then," he laughed. He was Irish, like Artemis, but instead of that bringing them together, it seemed to be drawing a rift between them. Seamus had grown up with tales of the Fowls, it seemed, and apparently had once seen Fowl Manor on a walk with a muggle friend. Naturally, he was a bit more guarded, seeing as he had only heard bad things, while the others were all wizard-born and (other than Harry) had grown up in a wizarding environment, and knew nothing of him except that he was strange. Seamus was both wary and nervous, it seemed. Artemis couldn't exactly hold that against him. He had the right to be.

"Ron asked if you were tired," Dean clarified as he climbed under his covers, grinning. "Apparently yes, because you couldn't seem to pay attention."

Artemis nodded slightly. "Today was a tiring day. Need I say more?"

"No," Harry muttered, and then slipped into bed.

Dean rolled his shoulders and released a tiny yawn. "What was up with Hermione at dinner?" he asked.

Ron looked apprehensive. Artemis, also curious, raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't much like you, mate," the red-head told Artemis. "Says you're not to be trusted."

At that, the boy genius just shook his head and slipped his container of pills into his trunk. He was a bit angry, personally, but he knew Hermione had a good reason. After all, she was a muggle-born. She had heard stories of the Fowls, just like Seamus. None of the muggle-borns would go near him. And even those who had no idea who he was would probably keep their distance.

Neville murmured, "'Night Harry, Ron, Dean, Seamus." Then, seeming to remember there was another occupant, "And Artemis."

A tad offended, the boy genius didn't reply, and crawled into his four-poster and closed himself in. Seamus got into bed, and then there was silence as the boys feel asleep, one by one.

About ten minutes after they were all dead to the world, Artemis released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, and slipped his phone out from under his pillow. He had stuffed it inside the pillowcase when no one else was looking, figuring it was probably the best place to hide it, considering it was the most obvious spot and no one might look there out of the utter ridiculousness of it all. The pillowcase was just an extra protection.

The white screen burned his eyes, and he scrambled to turn down the brightness. _God forbid I might actually see anything, _Artemis thought sourly. He then waited for his eyes to adjust, hoping against hope that the bright light hadn't woken any of his dormmates.

The soft snoring continued.

Reassured of his safety, the boy genius tapped the 'Messages' icon with his index finger. A new, deep green background appeared upon contact, and he immediately chose 'Compose Message' from the options area.

Artemis had always disliked typing on touch screens. They were hard to navigate that way; too difficult to predict what would happen, not to mention autocorrect. He had also hated autocorrect, ever since an incident when breaking in a touch-screen phone while texting Holly, and having 'Captain' replaced with 'Cooky'. 'Cooky Holly Short' didn't exactly go over well with the elven officer.

So he had fitted this phone with a slid-out texting keyboard, like some other touch-screen phones were equiped with, and hoped it would do better work for the him than a touch-screen keyboard.

_I've arrived at Hogwarts, _he quickly tapped out, _please reply._

Then he snapped the keyboard back in place, put the phone in stand-by mode, and waited.

The screen abruptly lit up, revealing the Gnommish words, _Howzit, mud boy?_

More than a little relieved, Artemis replied, _Fine. You?_

_Good. Anything to report?_

The boy genius pondered his journey so far. There was the story of Voldemort and Harry. Dumbledore's blackened hand. Orion bothering him at dinner. Among other things. He quickly typed up everything but Orion's appearence - Holly would no doubt see the texts eventually. He didn't want her worried about him, not when they were just beginning. She would drag him back home before he could even open his mouth.

_Hmm, _was Foaly's response to the information. _An evil wizard, huh? Is he as bad as Koboi?_

_Possibly worse._

_Yikes. You sure the guy's not a pixie? I've never liked pixies._

_I am definitely sure. He might threaten Hogwarts. Whether it is while I'm here or not is unknown._

There was no reply for a long few minutes, and then, _If he comes, Holly'll yank you out before you can raise your wand._

_Precisely. Hopefully this dark wizard won't be involved at any point this year. I do worry for the others, though._

Foaly's next message had an amused-looking emoticon attatched to it. _I thought you said they hate you._

_Not hate. They simply don't know what to think of me. As the year progresses, they can decide how they feel._

_Pfft. Wizards are shifty. Like pixies, as far as I can tell._

Artemis frowned. _They're mud men with magic, Foaly. Nothing we can't handle._

_Uh, duh! After all, look at us. Two geniuses, a few trigger-happy elves, occasionally a dwarf with a crime record, and the most powerful demon warlock in existence. Wizards aren't a problem, good or bad. This is probably the easiest thing we've done. Ever._

Artemis rolled his eyes. _Perhaps. It was a nice chat, Foaly. I will text tomorrow with another report._

_The full moon's in a few weeks, _the centuar replied. _Holly wanted me to tell you that she's already got permission to come._

_Excellent. Goodbye, then._

_Bye. _There was another emoticon, this one with its tongue sticking out. Shaking his head at it, Artemis put away the phone and turned onto his side, eyes already closing.

Tomorrow was going to be another long day.

Sunlight streamed through the fabric surrounding Artemis' four-poster, and his eyes were open before he was even fully conscious.

_School today, _he thought dryly. _Just wonderful._ But the sarcasm didn't dampen his excitement whatsoever. Wizard school was wizard school was wizard school after all.

"Get _up,_ Ron," Harry's voice ordered from near his friend's bed. "We're going to miss breakfast."

The reply was muffled, and accompanied by a half-hearted groan.

"Seriously, mate," Dean added, sounding as if he had just woken up as well. There was shuffling, the sound of trunks being opened and closed, and once and a while a moan from Ron.

Artemis sat up and swiftly dressed, tearing himself away from the mostly one-sided argument and instead focusing on looking at least somewhat decent.

His usual suit was now accompanied by his new wizard robes, with his wand sticking slightly out of his pocket. He easily slicked his hair back and then quickly checked his phone to see if Foaly had texted him at all. Nothing.

"Artemis?" Neville's voice rang out hesitantly. "Are...are you coming?"

The boy genius immediately replaced his phone and revealed himself to the others. "Obviously," he smirked.

The thought of taking a pill before breakfast crossed his mind, but he figured he could force one down after he'd eaten. The pills sometimes left a nasty-tasting residue in his mouth - he was extremely reluctant to accompany that with food, thank you very much.

Everyone else appeared to be ready, though none dressed as formally as he.

"Are you wearing a suit again?" Ron boggled. There were slight bags under his eyes, which were bleary from sleep. He was dressed sloppily, and looked like a pixie could knock him over by flicking him. Artemis inwardly smirked at the thought.

"Of course," he replied, sauntering towards the door. "This is what I usually wear. Is there a problem?"

"N-no," Neville muttered, before quickly stumbling down the steps and out of sight.

Ron gave the boy genius a _look_, one that clearly said, _Why'd you have to go and scare him, then?_

Artemis chose not to reply. He hadn't meant to, but obviously he was a bit more indimidating than he thought. He had once prided himself on that. But now, what he needed wasn't to be frightening, it was to blend in as much as possible.

_I am absolute rubbish at this, _he growled to himself before storming out of the room, the others following, confused about his sudden foul mood.

They arrived in the Great Hall once more, where Neville and Ginny were waiting. They all waved when they saw the boys and Hermione - who had apparently joined soon after they'd left - behind Artemis, but hesitated when he waved along with the others. Clearly his presence wasn't anticipated.

The plates filled with food, and Artemis was the only one who ate in silence; the other teenagers babbled on about unimportant things. Classes, gossip, teachers...it was all surprisingly normal conversation, as long as you didn't add in the mentioned spells, names of the classes, and the nature of the gossip. That is, rumors about not only the constant, "who likes who", but also what spells they were to be learning, what fate would befall Snape, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, ect. It was almost amusing.

After the plates had been cleared, Professor McGonagall meandered about the room with blank pieces of parchment, and after consulting with the student, she would tap her wand on the paper, filling it with a new schedule, and then move on the next person. Soon, she was face-to-face with Hermione, handing her a schedule as the girl shot off to her first class. Then McGonagall talked to Neville, encouraging him to take Charms since he couldn't manage Transfiguration with his O.W.L. grade. Then Harry and Ron were assigned new schedules, and lastly, Artemis.

"Good morning, Mr. Fowl," she greeted. "Now, let's see. You'll have to take the normal classes, naturally. Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms. What about Herbology?"

Plants. No, he couldn't deal with plants on a daily basis. He feared it would be just a bit too much to ask him to keep things alive while also keeping a potentially deadly secret and juggling several other potentially challenging subjects. "No thank you, Professor," he refused hastily, but kept his expression neutral. "Plants aren't exactly my forte."

She seemed to smirk a bit at that, but quickly forced it back. "Very well. Ancient Runes? Arithmancy? Divination?"

He inwardly gagged at the last mention. Divination. No, definitely not Divination. Who was ridiculous enough to believe they could see the future? "Ancient Runes and Arithmancy would be fine, thank you," he said, and waited while she summoned his schedule onto the paper.

"You have a break now, Mr. Fowl," she informed him, thrusting the parchment into his hands. "Go straight to the Gryffindor common room."

"Naturally, Professor," he accepted, then swept out of the room as gracefully as possible in his long robes. He glanced at his schedule as he traversed the halls. Ancient Runes. With the gift of tongues, he would easily pass. As he was currently alone, he allowed himself a grin, before shoving it down as he reached the common room, and then the dormatory, where he gulped down a pill before collasping on his bed yet again.

Now he just had to survive an hour or so hanging about doing nothing.

It so happened that he was terrible at doing nothing. In fact, "hanging about doing nothing" sounded like a horrible way to spend an hour. He checked his phone for messages. Nothing.

D'Arvit.

**Hoped you liked it. Feel free to tell me what you think. :) This was pretty much a filler chapter, so sorry about that.**

**Sorry it's kind of short also, and probably not very good. You know...the same old excuse. XD**


	7. Chapter 7: Spells and Smells

**Um...hey. *cringes* Usual excuse, added with some Doctor Who obsessions...sorreh.**

**I'm going to stop doing reviewer responses unless the question is super important or something. -.-" Sorry 'bout that, but it gives me more time to write, and less nonesense for you all to read. If you find any plot holes (which I'm sure you will)...my apologies.**

**In any case, I've been watching Doctor Who, and I am officially in love, so you lot can expect some DW fics to start popping up. Possibly tomorrow. XD**

**Oh, and I know the chapter title is ridiculous. It's like, nine PM, okay? XD**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. So don't sue me. Please?**

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><p><em>Chapter 7: Spells and Smells<em>

Artemis lazily flipped through Hogwarts, a History, which despite not needing for the year, he had gotten, noting with interest that technology wasn't supposed to work on Hogwarts' grounds. Giving his hidden phone a cursory glance, he assumed that the magic involved in fairy technology protected it from the wizard school's wards, although there was no way to be certain.

To his relief, the next time he took a break from his musings and checked the time, Defense Against the Dark Arts was soon to begin. He snatched up his bag of supplies and made his way down to Snape's classroom with haste.

Most of the class was just settling in as he arrived and took a spot next to a tall girl with a face full of pimples, much to her fright. He pompously ignored her and began arranging his items to provide himself easy access to everything.

Snape had assumed an arrogant, careless position at the front of the classroom, looking down at all of them over his hooked nose. "I have not asked you to take out your books," he sneered. Artemis saw Hermione slip a textbook quickly into her bag, and did the same. "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention." His gaze raked over the classroom. Artemis appeared to be the only one unfazed. "You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe."

A look of controlled fury dominated Harry's features, but he wisely said nothing.

"Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you managed an O.W.L. in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."

The dark teacher began walking around the room, voice lowered. "The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and smarter than the first. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible." He spoke with a strange note to his voice; a caress of affection almost. Artemis couldn't stop himself from raising an eyebrow.

Snape paused just for a moment to glare at him before moving on. "Your defenses must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo." He waved towards the grotesque pictures lining the walls as he spoke again, "These pictures give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse, feel the Dementor's Kiss, or provoke the aggression of the Inferius."

"Has an Inferius been seen, then?" asked the girl named Parvati in a squeaky, frightened voice. "Is he using them?"

Snape didn't even stop to think.

"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," he replied, "which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now." He resumed pacing around the room. "You are, I believe, complete novices in the art of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?"

Artemis and Hermione simultaneously raised their hands. Snape's cold eyes fixed on the boy genius, who simply straightened in reply, expression completely neutral. "Mr. Fowl."

"You opponent would have no warning as to what spell you were to use," Artemis said mildly, folding his hands in his lap. "Therefore, you would have an advantage, if a only a split-second one."

Snape's eyes narrowed minutely. "Correct. Indeed, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, obviously; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some lack." His eyes stopped momentarily on Harry before moving on. "You will now divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will intern try to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on." He waved a dismissal at them and simply watched with obvious disinterest.

As expected, Ron and Harry teamed up. Hermione and Neville did as well, although Neville didn't seem too thrilled about it, if only because Hermione was a far better spell-caster than he.

A pale, blond-haired boy sauntered up to Artemis at that moment, twirling a wand in his right hand, nose upturned in superiority. "You're a muggle-born, aren't you?" he smirked. "Pathetic. Shall I show you how a pureblood performs spells?"

Artemis felt a twinge of irritation, but shoved it down and coldy replied, "If you like."

The blond sneered and then took his place opposite the boy genius. "I'm Malfoy, by the way. Draco Malfoy."

"Artemis Fowl the second," Artemis answered in a similar tone, inwardly snickering at Malfoy's introduction. Bond. James Bond.

Then Malfoy seemed to become fractionally more serious, clearly concentrating hard. He flicked his wand, but nothing happened. Looking angry, he tried again, more sharply. And again and again, but to no avail.

Artemis hadn't expected anything, but he allowed a moment of silent gloating before brandishing his own wand and focusing his mind. A jinx, he muttered. A simple jinx will do. He thought for a moment, before adjusting his hold on his wand and summoning his magic, directing it at the wand with a good deal of concentration. He slashed in the air, and Malfoy only had time for a twitch of the wand before his legs sprung together and he went crashing to the floor, eyes entirely furious. Heads turned in astonishment, gaping openly at him. Hermione blinked before turning to Neville just as the boy was casting a muttered spell. She wordlessly deflected it, and earned a grin from both Harry and Ron.

_Fairy magic is far easier to control than wizard magic, clearly_, Artemis pondered as he silently released a humiliated Draco Malfoy. _The flow is obviously different, and easily directed. Casting spells should prove easier for me in the long run. It is a good thing I've been practicing, however - otherwise I'd not know any spells at all._

"You think you know it all, Mudblood," Malfoy spat as he scrambled to his feet. "You caught me off guard, that's all." His eyes were stony and cold, and he was muttering a spell under his breath just as Harry screamed, _"Portego_!" from across the room and Snape was driven to the ground, interrupting all activity. Artemis and Malfoy both turned, distracted, although Artemis was curious as to what sort of jinx the blond might have pulled on him.

"Do you remember me tell you that we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?" Snape hissed as he got slowly to his feet.

Harry looked outright annoyed as he growled, "Yes."

"Yes,_ sir_."

"There's no need to call me sir, Professor." This clearly thoughtless response was recieved with gasps and hands clapped to mouths in astonishment from most, although the boys positioned behind Snape were grinning widely.

"Detention, Saturday night, my office," Snape snarled. "I do not tolerate cheek from anyone, Potter. Not even 'the Chosen One.'"

And they were promptly ushered out of the classroom.

"That was brilliant, Harry!" Artemis heard Ron cry as soon as Snape was out of earshot. Hermione said something, quieter, and Harry responded at the same level, quite vehemently, it sounded.

Shaking his head in both amusement and disbelief (although Harry Potter did seem like the type to respond like that to a teacher), Artemis followed them from a distance to the common room, where he expected Harry would recieve plenty more praise, and his and Hermione's acheivements would go unnoticed.

This didn't seem fair, and although Artemis was certainly no one to judge what fair was, he was certain that that wasn't it. He expected Hermione didn't much care, as he didn't, but it still bugged him a good bit. As he watched the trio, he could determine that Harry, despite being popular and well-known, didn't wish to be. Ron seemed to be forgotten in the midst of things, and from the slight twinge of both jealousy and admiration in the redhead's eyes, Artemis decided that the friend didn't care for it. Although he put up with it well enough, it appeared. And Hermione was obviously the brains, as well as the only girl. Her feelings were probably forgotten as well, even if she looked to be always included.

Artemis had to wonder if they were analyzing him the same way he was them. And although he didn't expect them to find anything out about him, he was a bit curious as to what they might think of him in this moment, no matter how malicious or loathing or careless the thoughts were.

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><p>As it happened, the Golden Trio weren't the ones considering Artemis then, but Snape, as he sat at his desk and calmed himself. Potter was a no-good student, and despite his promise to Lily, Snape wasn't so sure he'd be able to keep the boy alive for much longer - not if he replied like that to the Dark Lord at some point.<p>

And then there was that Fowl boy. Even though he'd said nothing much besides anwering the question poised to him, he eminated a dominating, strange aura, one that Snape was eager to investigate. He'd also easily performed the non-verbal spell on the first try, unlike even Hermione Granger. There was something odd with that boy.

Possibly Voldemort odd.

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><p>After the break, Artemis trailed after Harry, Ron, and Hermione down to the Potions classroom, which was located in the dungeons below the school. He was expecting it to be cold and damp (which it was), but with Professor Slughort in charge, it was at least made more pleasant by the curious smells filling the room. Artemis suspected that Snape had had the room far less comfortable when it had belonged to him.<p>

The smells were coming from several cauldrons at the front of the classroom, which people paused by and sniffed at as contented looks came over their faces and they smiled sleepily at each other.

"Now then, now then, now then," Slughort began as he took his place at the front and allowed everyone to sit down. "Scales out all, and potions kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making..."

At this, Harry hesitantly raised his hand and requested books for himself and Ron, as well as ingredients, and Slughorn immediatly obliged, handing them both battered copies of the textbook.

"Now then," he continued, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of them, even if you haven't made them yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?" He gestured to the first cauldron, nearest the table where the Slytherins were seated. Hermione instantly had her hand raised.

"It's Veritaserum, a colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth," she said when Slughorn called on her, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Very good, very good," Slughorn praised gleefully. Artemis noted that the man tended to repeat himself when excited, certain that it would come in handy at some point. "Now, this one here is pretty well known..." he motioned towards a potion near the Ravenclaws, "featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately. Who can - "

Hermione's hand was up yet again.

"Polyjuice Potion, sir," she said when once again called upon. Artemis saw Harry and Ron exchange almost amused glances before returning to the lesson.

"Excellent, excellent! Now this one here...yes, my dear?" Slughorn was once again interrupted by Hermione's hand.

"It's Amortentia!" she exclaimed, looking surprised and wistful.

Slughorn looked incredibly impressed. "It is. It seems almost foolish to ask, but I assume you know what it does?"

Hermione nodded eagerly. "It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

Slughorn beamed. "Quite right! You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"

"And the steam rising in characteristic spirals," Hermione offered next, thrilled, "and it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and - " She abruptly stopped and flushed.

"May I ask your name, my dear?" Slughorn asked, ignoring her blushing.

"Hermione Granger, sir."

"Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to - "

"No, I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see."

Slughorn was grinning still. "Oho!" He turned to Harry. "'One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year!' I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

Harry smiled faintly. "Yes, sir."

"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Slughorn then cleared his throat and went on, ignoring the whispered converstaion now going on between Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Artemis, sitting a few tables back, couldn't hear what was being said, but he assumed it had something to do with the compliment Harry had clearly given his friend. "Now, to enforce the point of the potion smelling different to all, would anyone like to tell the class what they smell?"

There was silence, but everyone took in a huge whiff of the heady scent.

To his surprise, the smell of wood - oak, suposedly - greeted Artemis' nose. The scent made a few blue sparks flicker on his fingertips, to his understandable concern. He could also feel an unbidden excitement swelling in his chest, which he quickly squashed down.

_That is the magic talking_, he schooled himself, flexing his fingers and trying to prevent any more sparks from escaping. He concentrated on the other scents instead, and immediately recognized his mother's perfume, the smell of a fresh pot of Earl Grey, and mint. He ignored as best he could the bits of wood-smell sinking into his pores, exciting the fairy magic in him. He wondered if this usually happened, and if not, why was it happening now?_ It's what attracts us_, he reminded himself._ Oak is attractive to a fairy. And with fairy magic inside of me, it is just as attractive to me._ He made an effort to calm himself and zeroed in on the fact that Slughorn was about to speak, and he should really pay attention if he didn't want to fail the class.

"Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room - oh yes." The professor gave a grave look at Malfoy and another boy, who were both looking mightily skeptical. "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love...

"And now," he continued. "It is time for us to start work."

A boy raised his hand. "Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one." He pointed to a smaller black cauldron on Slughorn's desk, the color of gold, and little drops kept jumping up and then falling back in the cauldron again.

"Oho," Slughorn said again. "Yes. That. Well, that one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it," he grinned, turning to a gasping Hermione, "that you know what it does, Miss Granger?"

"It's liquid luck," she breathed excitedly. "It makes you lucky!"

The whole class straightened, all attentions turned to Slughorn in anticipation.

"Another ten points to Gryffindor," the professor said. "Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis. Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed...at least until the effects wear off."

Artemis' first thought was of what he could accomplish with just a shot of Felix Felicis. Just a year before, he would have immediately turned to crime...but now, he wasn't so sure what he would do with it. He could get money, true, but...there was something else that he wanted. But he couldn't quite figure it out. It was quite frustrating.

"Why don't people always drink it, then, sir?" asked another boy, thrilled.

"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence," Slughorn scolded. "Too much of a good thing, you know. Highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally..."

"Have you ever taken it, sir?" someone else questioned.

"Twice in my life. Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoons taken with breakfast. Two perfect days." His gaze turned dreamy. Artemis suspected he was acting for effect, but he couldn't be sure. Then he came back suddenly. "And that is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson."

There was a startled, breathless silence.

"One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis," Slughorn said, taking a tiny class bottle with a cork out of his pocket it and displaying it for all to see. "Enough for twelve hours' luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt.

"Now, I must warn you that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions, like sports, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only...and watch how that ordinary day is suddenly extraordinary! So, how are you to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion-Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draght of the Living Death..."

And with a few more words, Slughorn set the class to work.

Artemis busily gathered his supplies and opened his book to the correct page before starting. He dutifully followed all of the instructions, and was most certainly not pleased when his brew didn't react as it was supposed to. Slightly flustered, he continued, but to no avail. His potion simply didn't work out. He went on working, stirring and chopping and dumping ingredients into his cauldron. To his fury, nothing happened. He was just muttering an angry, "D'Arvit," when Slughorn announced that time was up and presented the Felix Felicis to Harry, who had somehow managed to get his potion just right.

Feeling aggravated, Artemis stalked off to his next class. He knew he shouldn't feel so uptight about it all, but he kept feeling like he could have used the potion for something important. An encounter with the past Opal, perhaps. They could finally catch her. And what could Harry do with a bottle of Felix Felicis anyway? Go on a perfect date? Sure, there was that dark wizard, and Artemis knew that Harry was supposed to be able to defeat him, but...

He shook himself and glanced at his hands. A few blue sparks sheepishly flickered out, as if sensing his anger.

It's the Amortentia still getting to me, he thought in a snarl. It's supposed to be attractive, though, not make me act like a jealous child! He took a few calming breaths and decided that when it came, he would skip lunch and take a stroll around the school. Shielded, naturally. Maybe burning off some excess magic would do him good. He was supposed to use it sparingly, but the sparks wouldn't leave him alone and he feared he might lash out at someone. Although his aggression was definitely odd, he couldn't help but blame the love potion. Love had never been his strong suit in the first place.

To his relief, as he drew farther and farther away from the dungeons, the anger dissipated. He noticed also that the smell had faded as well, with more than his fair share of happiness.

I'll have to ask Foaly about the effects of the strongest love potion in the world on a human-fairy hybrid.

And with that not-entirely-pleasant thought, he rushed off to Transfiguration, bag slung across his back and an emotionless mask on his face once more.

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><p><strong>UPDATE: Made some small changes to this chapter, only in spelling. I'll do the same for the other chapters, eventually. For now, though, I'm back to working on chapter 9, which I think is nearly done. It should be up later today (the 27th of February 2013) or tomorrow, if things go according to plan.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Hogsmeade

**There are too many apologies to include in this one chapter, everyone, I am so sorry it's been so long. RL has been a bit crazy, and my own procrastination issues have also gotten in the way. So, again, eternal apologies to you all. Thank you for sticking with me, and for all the new reviews, favorites, and alerts I've gotten despite not updating for such a long time. Thanks, really.**

**I was planning to write more, since I got my own laptop for Christmas, but moving and my mom's engagement and yada-yada-yada, too many excuses. Sorry.**

**Anyway, I'll try to keep this note short, but I have a couple of announcements to make.**

**First, this story will not be updated again for probably a week or two while I work to write more chapters. I will try to be at least five chapters ahead of myself when I update, so that the updates can be on-time, and you all don't have to wait an eternity again, and I will have more time to work on other things. Once I finish writing the story, updates will hopefully come every few days instead of every week or so.**

**Second, I'm once again re-working The Crossover, for those of you that have been waiting for that to be updated. The Crossover that's on this website is the first re-worked version. The newest version will be a bit different, and will be longer, although not in the way you might be thinking. And I will not be removing the current Crossover from the web, so that I can see my own improvement, and so can others. And those of you that prefer that version can read the chapters that are up. I have explained this re-working fully in the latest "chapter" of The Crossover, which is already up.**

**Again, thank you all. I really appreciate all the reviews and favorites and alerts and everything.**

**And I'm really sorry this one's going to be shortish and not very exciting. Next chapter will be better, I hope.**

**(Also, I think I had a question at some point about how Artemis shouldn't be able to wear a suit because of the school robe, but they do have to wear something under that 'open robe' don't they? That's my logic, sorry if it doesn't work. But I think Artemis would try and wear a suit under his robe anyway, if he could. XD)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Seriously.**

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><p>The next week passed relatively quickly, and Artemis found himself loaded with homework on a daily basis, leaving no real free time anymore in which he could contact Foaly or have a moment of peace to himself. He took his pills, rushed off to breakfast, listened to the idle chatter of the other Gryffindors, went to his classes, and did his homework on his breaks. He hadn't talked to Foaly in days, but seeing as Foaly hadn't bothered to text either, he figured he was probably alright.<p>

Quidditch tryouts came and went, and Harry's spot at the table was often swarmed with people getting information. Artemis had not changed his opinion of the game, but was honestly interested in watching a match. More information he could get to the fairies.

His relationships with his fellow Gryffindors did not improve much. Ginny didn't talk to him if she could avoid it, but seemed a little less furious with him most of the time. Hermione, Harry, and Ron were all a bit icy, but polite enough that Artemis wasn't extremely concerned that they would attack him out of spite. They seemed nice, anyway, so he doubted they would be too horrible to him.

Today, the trio was sat to Artemis's right, ignoring him except for a loudish conversation about the spell Harry had attempted earlier on Ron. It had resulted in the redhead to be pulled up by his foot, and then dropped back on the bed. Artemis had watched it happen, frowning at Harry's potions textbook, which, judging by the argument, was where the spell had come from. These kinds of disagreements had occured often over the past week, all apparently over Harry's book. Artemis had gathered that it had scribbled alternate directions in the pages, directing its owner to a quicker and easier and more exact way to making the potion. Artemis was aware that this was cheating on Harry's part, but had said nothing to any of the professors. It wasn't that big of a deal, he supposed, although it was a little annoying that Harry was getting top marks because he got a used book.

Artemis just shook his head and went back to his breakfast, turning his thoughts to the Hogsmeade visit that day. He'd learned that Hogsmeade was a little village beside Hogwarts, full of shops and pubs and all sorts of interesting things for the students and staff to busy themselves with on the days they were allowed out. It was supposed to be a nice little place, and although Artemis had never been one for quiet, nice little places, he had to admit that Hogsmeade did sound interesting, and he was eager to take a look at more wizard shops.

His thoughts were interrupted by Ginny's approach. She greeted her friends and handed Harry a roll of parchment. He opened it, eyes wide, and then whispered something excitedly to his friends, something that Artemis didn't quite catch, although he'd gotten 'Dumbledore' and 'lesson' from the mumbling. The headmaster had been gone often these days, and despite the fact that Artemis was busy with his job as a fairy infiltrator and a student, the disappearence was suspiscious. Although it appeared that the headmaster was back now.

"D'you want to come to Hogsmeade with us?" Harry asked Ginny, smiling at her.

"I'm going with Dean, sorry," she said, shrugging. "Maybe we'll see you there." She waved as she departed back to her seat, plopping down next to her boyfriend and kissing him. Artemis fought back an eye-roll.

When Artemis was finished with his meal, he clambered out of his seat and went to the doors that led to the wizarding village, where Filch was ticking names off as people went into Hogsmeade. Artemis had already handed in his permission slip, and was checked off and allowed into Hogsmeade for the first time.

It was snowing lightly, painting an almost surreal, postcard-esque picture. Artemis had a feeling his mother would be fawning over the scene. The boy genius straightened his tie - a Gryffindor tie that all students were required to have, instead of his normal black tie - and wandered further into the village, gazing around with caculating eyes.

There was a pub called The Three Broomsticks, and joke shops. He spotted a candy store, and stopped inside to grab a few candies for his younger brothers, feeling a twinge of regret that they weren't there with him. They would have been all over the shop. He tucked the treats into his breast pocket, promising that he'd mail them out to Holly, so that she could deliver them to Mrs. Fowl, and her to her youngest sons. She didn't know where Artemis was, but she'd been informed that he was at a special school, and seemed mostly okay with that, according to Foaly.

Artemis forced his family out of his mind and continued to wander around the village, not really getting anywhere but not terribly concerned with that fact. It was peaceful here. No homework, no roommates, no-

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Well, he could forget no texts, then. He pulled the phone out and opened in, making sure to sheild before he did so. It wouldn't be very good if one of his classmates saw him standing between two of the shops with an odd device in his hands.

_Hello, _Artemis typed, _I have a few free minutes. Please respond._ Within seconds, the phone vibrated, announcing Foaly's reply.

_Hey Mud Boy, what took you so long?_

_Not much free time, and staying up too late to text you is going to cost me._

Artemis could imagine Foaly scoffing, but the response had no hint of it. _Fine. So, anything interesting?_

_Not really. Are we still clear for the full moon?_

_Yeah, everything's still fine. Holly says hello._ Then, just as Artemis was composing a reply to that, a slightly blurred picture of an angry-looking Holly Short, moving as if to cover the camera lense, mouth open as she snarled something-or-other at the owner of the camera, appeared on the screen.

_Very tasteful,_ Artemis texted, and attempted an emoticon of his own, feeling slightly awkward.

_Ooh, a smirk emoticon, you bad boy, _Foaly mocked. _Holly's laughing at you._

_I'll stop using the faces, then._ He spared a moment to wonder why he'd even tried it - he'd never found use for them before, what was the special occasion?

_Yes, please._

Artemis had nearly finished a snarky reply, when several someones screamed, and the frightening image of a young girl ascending into the air, face expressionless and limbs spread, greeted Artemis's eyes. He quickly stashed his phone and popped into view, walking quickly to the scene, gazing up at the girl with wide eyes. She had a friend pulling at her ankle, panicking and crying, while the girl continued to wail. There was a package abandoned on the snow below her.

Harry and friends were standing nearby as well, but other than them, the landscape was nearly deserted. Harry shouted something about getting help as the girl collapsed, and raced to find a member of the staff.

Soon, a few more people, attracted by the noise, were gathered around, eyes bugging in horror but frozen in place. The girl was twisting helplessly on the ground, still screeching. A headache was building in Artemis's head. He approached her, setting a careful hand on her neck.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ron shouted. Wind was whipping the snow into their faces, so Artemis couldn't quite see his roommate's expression, but he knew it would be angry and scared.

"Checking her pulse," he explained above the din.

"What's that gonna do?"

Artemis ignored the other boy, bending down and pressing to fingers to where he knew he'd find her pulse. It was fast and thready. "Shh," he told her, awkwardly patting her arm. "Calm down." Ron joined him after a moment, and then a tear-streaked Hermione and the girl on the ground's horrified friend. They were all still attempting to calm her writhing form when Harry returned, accompanied by the large figure of Hagrid, the groundskeeper.

"Back!" Hagrid roared, waving for the students to move away from the girl. "I need ta see 'er!"

"Something happened to her," her friend sobbed, shaking with fright. "She just-just-I dunno." She burst into a low wail. While she cried, Hagrid swept the girl on the ground into his arms and hurried off to the castle, presumably to the hospital wing. Hermione moved to comfort the friend, whispering soothing words.

"It's Leanne, right?" she asked quietly. "Shh, come here." She hugged Leanne, who was still sobbing, and rubbed her back. "It's all right."

Ron was moving toward the package on the ground, and Artemis felt a stab of foreboding and was just opening his mouth to speak when Harry roared, "_Don't touch it, Ron."_

Ron stopped and moved back, looking beyond startled and staring at his friend. "I saw that thing on display in Borgin and Burkes a while ago. It said it was cursed," Harry explained in a low tone. Ron paled. "Kaitie must've touched it." That had to be the girl - Katie. Artemis vaguely recongnized the name. Katie Bell, was it?

Harry began to talk to Leanne, asking her where Katie had gotten it. Leanne explained in a shaking voice, riddled with soft sniffles and sobs. They worked out after a moment that Katie had been Imperioused and been made to head toward the castle with the cursed necklace. As much as Artemis wanted to hear more, he was getting looks from Hermione telling him that he might want to go. Harry, judging by what he was muttering to his friends now, apparently thought it was Malfoy. Hermione was still glaring at Artemis and...did she think it was _him?_

To be fair, he had disappeared for a spell, but it hadn't been too terribly long, and he hadn't even went into the pub Katie had come out of. But that didn't seem to be stopping Hermione. She continued to look at him. He slowly nodded at her in acknowledgement, and crept away, wandering to a new place to sheild and contact Foaly once more.

_Mud Boy?_ Foaly had texted. The time said it had been a few minutes ago, right after Katie had been taken away by Hagrid. Artemis wondered how he hadn't noticed, but figured it was most likely the excitement. He had been too busy with Katie to notice that Foaly had texted him.

_I'm fine. There was an incident._

Foaly's next words were heavy with worry, even though Artemis couldn't hear him. The text, despite being simple written words, was leaden with apprehension. _What happened?_

_I haven't been found out, Foaly, _Artemis reassured the centaur. _A girl touched a cursed necklace. There was quite a scene. She's probably in the medical wing now, being examined._

_Oh, that's good. I mean, not that she was cursed, but that you...well never mind._

_Alright then. I'll try to contact you tomorrow, but it is unlikely that I'll succeed. In any case, I'll be in touch before the full moon._

_Okay. See ya._

_Goodbye, Foaly._ Once the last text was sent, Artemis hid his phone in his pocket once more, and fixed himself up a little before becoming visible again and walking briskly back to the castle to spend as much time as he could on his Ancient Runes homework. Though it would be easy (he had figured out Gnommish, after all), there was still quite a lot of it.

And then he tried his best to forget about the incident with Katie. He had more important things to do at the moment. Like his aforementioned homework. It wouldn't do to let it sit.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the sort of abrupt ending, but I wasn't quite sure how to finish things off properly. Another chapter next week, I hope, when I'm all ready. Thank you all again. Lots of love.<strong>

**(Due to a few reviews, I've changed a couple of tiny things in this chapter. Someone pointed out that Artemis would have no trouble with Ancient Runes, and of course they're right. My only excuse is that I was excited to post this chapter and didn't check it over thoroughly to make sure everything was in order. Apologies.**

**And also, about the HP characters - most everything they say is taken from **_**The Half-Blood Prince,**_** I've only changed a few words here and there to avoid completely copying, sorry. It's probably disappointing. :/ Later on though, once things have changed a good deal because of Artemis's involvement, everything any of the characters say will be completely me, which will be happening in a chapter or two, I expect. A majority of the chapters will have dialogue all written by me, though, so look forward to that.**

**Again, sorry to bother you with this, but I thought I'd straighten a few things out. Thank you!)**


	9. Chapter 9: Late Night Talks

**Sorry times a million, guys. I feel so terrible leaving this for so long. The worst thing is, I really thought I wouldn't update again. It killed me, but I was out of inspiration, and this too-short chapter took so long to put together I couldn't imagine doing it even one more time.**

**I only have to thank all of you for your support, and especially Bibliophile109. It was your review specifically, Bilbiophile, and the ideas it gave me, that brought me back to this. I am definitely going to continue writing this, thanks to all of you, and I won't leave it for that long again. I'll try to have the next chapter up in a week or so, and although I can't make any promises on that, I won't leave it for months and months again. In fact, I'll start on chapter 10 later today, and get ahead of myself so that this doesn't happen again. I know I said this last time, and it'll be hard to trust me, but _I_ trust _you_ to hold me to my word and contact me to tell me if you think I'm slipping. Don't hesitate to leave a scolding review or a PM if I'm taking an age. You brought me back to this this time, and you can do it again if this happens again.**

**Without further ado - Chapter 9.**

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><p><em>Chapter 9: Late Night Talks<em>

Artemis waited until eleven thirty on the night of the full moon to slip as quietly as he could manage out of his bed, shielded and still dressed. He was horrible at stealth, naturally. Stealth meant avoiding being spotted by listening carefully and being fit enough to evade others. Artemis could do the first part easily enough, but physical fitness was not his forte. Fortunately, the shield helped a good deal. He could walk normally, as long as he didn't make a racket.

Hogwarts was dark and still with most everyone asleep. It was strange and chilling. Artemis saw Filch once, and had to fight back the urge to duck and cover despite himself. Chances were, if he did that, he'd just trip over something or other and make a noise loud enough to get Filch's attention, and he would be caught. So he just held his beath, slowed his steps, and waited until the man had scuttled away.

It took a while for him to reach the large doors leading out of the castle, but he managed it before midnight hit. He slid one of the doors open a crack, hoping it wouldn't make a sound. When it creaked, he threw it open a bit farther and managed to make it outside before it closed with a muffled thud.

Artemis took a deep breath, and continued on his way. He knew he should avoid Hagrid's hut, lest he wake the teacher, and he knew the Forbidden Forest could prove dangerous in the long run, even if he and Holly weren't in there very long, or didn't venture very far.

"What about the lake?" a familiar voice said from behind him, and he whirled around to see a slightly fuzzy patch in the air in the shape of one Holly Short.

"Our friendship must have developed a good deal over the past few years for you to know what I'm thinking," Artemis replied, a little startled at her appearance but doing his best to look unfazed as he allowed himself to pop into view. It seemed to work, as Holly unshielded, frowning a little.

She shrugged as she said, "I just thought the lake would be nice."

Artemis nodded. "Did you bring your acorn?"

"Obviously." She pulled her wings off as they headed off toward the lake, and set them down behind her as they sat. The water was slivery from the moonlight, and glassy, a good imitation of a mirror. Holly leaned over the water for a moment to examine herself. "So, how are you doing?"

"Fine," Artemis answered, picking her wings off the ground to look at them. "These are a new model," he noted.

"Yeah," Holly snickered. "Foaly's trying to make ones that are invincible. I broke the last pair, but he gave me another one anyway. This one's going to do it, apparently."

Artemis smiled faintly at that.

"Nice tie," Holly said, aiming a finger at his crimson and gold striped tie - the same tie that the other students in Gryffindor house wore.

"They allowed me to wear my suit," Artemis told her, "as long as I wore this tie instead of my regular one." He smirked, and then after a moment of silence, craned his neck to get a proper look at the moon. A white orb in the sky, among a sea of black and tiny sparkling stars. He became aware of a buzzing in the core of him - where the fairy magic resided.

"It's pretty," Holly said from beside him, now lying on her back. Her eyes reflected the night sky, and there was a small smile on her face.

"Yes it is," Artemis agreed, and joined her on the ground, making sure the area behind him was dry - it would be no good to get his suit wet or muddy.

They stared up at the night for a good ten minutes, listening to the sound of crickets and the occasional whisper of wind.

Artemis remembered the acorn in his pocket. And then he wondered how he'd ever forgotten it - it was now digging painfully into his leg. With a slight wince, he sat up and pulled it out, giving it a once-over to see that it was unharmed.

"Right," Holly said, her gaze catching on the acorn in his hands as she shifted position. She brought her own into view and tossed it up into the air, once. "Let's get down to business." She stood and helped Artemis to his feet, and they wandered over to the edge of the forest to plant their acorns. Holly gave her human friend a brief rundown of what they were expected to do, and together they preformed the ritual.

Artemis would have described it as a feeling of fullness, a kind of which he hadn't experienced before. It wasn't the same as being full after eating a large meal, or even the peacefulness he'd felt for the brief time he'd watched the stars with Holly. Perhaps it could best be compared to a flaring fire, full of warmth, in the pit of the stomach, combined with the stillness of looking out of your window and watching the sunset. He'd never been one to really appreciate nature, at least not as completely as others did. The Fowls were a family of technology and intelligence and business - Artemis had experienced very few sunsets in his life - or even many nights such as this, with clear skies and bright stars.

The magic sparked blue in front of his eyes as he stood up, and turned to see Holly already heading toward the lake again.

"So," Holly called behind her as she walked. Artemis went after her, but didn't bother hurrying to catch up - he knew that she'd probably just take off at full speed, just to spite him, and then he'd never get near her. She sat down a little farther from the lake this time, and waited for him. "What's up in your wizarding school, mud boy?"

Artemis shrugged indifferently. "Regular school drama, Holly. It really isn't that different from regular school, besides the magic."

The elven captain sighed. "I meant, _what information do you have?_"

Artemis looked at her for a moment. "Not much," he finally admitted. "Although, according to the conversations between some people at meals, Harry Potter is visiting the headmaster for 'private lessons.'"

Holly asked, "And?"

"I don't have much information besides that. I've been meaning to look into it, but these classes are important as well, Holly."

The elf sighed. "Artemis, I know you're just loving this whole magic school thing, but you're here to get information about the wizarding world. I understand wanting to get good grades or learn things from these people, whatever you're trying to do, but information comes first." She attempted a smile in his direction. "You love information anyway, it shouldn't be hard. It's just a different kind of information than classroom information."

He shook his head, irritated. It was hard to be too annoyed, though, with the moon shining so brightly overhead and the lake reflecting it perfectly by his feet. "I'm trying, Holly."

She leaned back again, once more looking up at the night sky, resting on her elbows. This time, Artemis didn't join her. Pointedly, he stared at the reflection of the stars instead.

"I know," she replied, finally, resignation twisting her voice. "And, I mean, the stuff you learn in class is important too, but what we're primarily concerned with is the status of the wizarding world, and if it poses a threat at the moment. The last thing we need right now is for you to get distracted and forget your mission."

He frowned at the lake. "Foaly told you about Voldemort, I trust?" he asked instead of responding. He heard more than saw Holly sit up beside him. When he glanced over at her, she caught his eye, clearly not pleased.

"Yes," she muttered. "I don't like it, Artemis. This whole plan is ridiculous on its own. Throwing in a psychopath into the mix only makes this more impossible."

"I am capable of taking care of myself," Artemis informed her tightly, looking away. "I assure you I can handle it."

She sighed. "I know. But with the Complex back, and you having to sneak out on the full moon every month, and everything else...it's not the ideal situation. And from what you've said, you haven't made any friends, or even _allies_...if things go wrong, you'll only have me." He met her eyes once more, startled to see how concerned she really was for him. She was the closest thing to a friend he had, true, but they still didn't always get along, and despite the worry she'd expressed on their last adventure, he hadn't expected it again - and more potent as well. "And I can't be here instantly, Artemis." Her expression was fearful and sad. "If it doesn't happen on the night of the full moon, I won't be near enough to get here in enough time to get you out."

"I can handle it," he repeated, turning back to the lake. He could feel her frown, her unhappiness tainting the otherwise peaceful night.

"I hope so," she murmured, and there was a rustle as she stood. "I'd better go. Getting back to Haven will be hell on the full moon."

"Surely."

She hesitated, briefly, before saying, "Call if you need anything," shrugging on her wings, and vanishing. Air rushed by, ruffling Artemis, and he watched as a distorted shape faded into the distance.

BREAK

A small creak roused Harry from blurry, quickly forgotten dream, and he sat up in bed at once, ears straining. The soft sound of footsteps could be heard heading into the room. Harry tried to slow his now-pounding heart by holding his breath, attempting silence. The footsteps continued, creeping closer. Taking a deep, quiet breath, Harry grabbed his wand as silently as he could from his bedside table and whipped open the curtain surrounding his bed to find a familiar skinny figure frozen by Artemis' bed.

"Apologies," an Irish voice said hesitantly, and Harry relaxed marginally.

"_Lumos,_" he whispered, and light flared at the tip of his wand. Artemis blinked, leaning on his bed and shielding his eyes. "What are you doing up?" Harry demanded in a near-hiss.

Artemis frowned at him, but there was an apprehension in his eyes Harry hadn't seen before, but he didn't hesitate at all. "Never you mind," the new boy said, and suspiscion twisted in Harry's chest.

"I think I have a right to know, since you woke me up," he argued. "Unless you want me to wake the others as well." In the light of Harry's wand, Artemis' eyes narrowed, and he paled minutely, turning his already light skin the color of paper. It contrasted sharply with the dark pajamas he wore - Harry recalled dimly that he'd gone to bed in his suit, saying he'd change later. Evidently one in the morning qualified as 'later.'

"Fine," Artemis snapped in the same low voice Harry was using. "I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk around the school. Does that satisfy you?" The Irish boy sat down on his bed and began removing his socks and shoes.

"Weren't you worried about Filch catching you?" Harry wondered.

Artemis' frown deepened to a scowl. "Of course. But _you_'ve never let that stop _you_ before, have you?"

Harry couldn't fight back a blush as he lowered his wand. "Whatever," he muttered. "Just...if you do it again, try not to be so loud, okay?" There wasn't much venom in his voice, though - he was too focused on trying to figure out what Artemis had really been doing, because it obviously wasn't taking a _walk_ - and extinguished the light, climbing into bed. He could hear Artemis doing the same, grumbling something inaudible to himself around the creaking of the mattress. Harry pulled the curtains around his four-poster once more and settled himself into bed. He kept hold of his wand for longer than necessary, though, out of suspiscion, and only put it back on his bedside table when he was sure Artemis was asleep. Even then, he couldn't manage to keep his eyes closed for too long.

_Where could he have gone, though?_ he asked himself over and over. _There are lots of places in Hogwarts, but he's new...surely he wouldn't know very many of them, if any at all. Maybe he did just wander around for a bit._

But he couldn't believe it. The look in Artemis' eyes when he'd met Harry's were too worried for him to have been telling the truth. He hadn't wanted to be caught sneaking back into the dorm; hadn't expected it. Something was up with him.

Harry intended to find out what.


	10. Chapter 10: A Suspicious Christmas

Harry found himself stretched between fretting over Malfoy's involvement with Voldemort and Artemis' strange behavior which took more of his attention every day. Normally, he wouldn't bother with some odd things that happened here and there - it was Hogwarts, after all - but the way Artemis acted became increasingly more suspicious and that combined with Malfoy, combined with what he was learning about Voldemort through his sessions with Dumbledore, made Harry in general jumpy and unhappy.

He'd already told Ron and Hermione about Artemis - seperately, of course, because they were fighting, too, just one more thing for Harry to deal with - and even though they (especially Hermione) thought he was going a bit overboard with his worry over Malfoy, they seemed to agree that he was justified in his suspiscion of the other boy.

"Sneaking around school grounds at night is creepy," Hermione had said once as she picked at her food, frowning thoughtfully. "It would probably be a good idea to keep an eye on him, even though he might not be doing anything wrong." She obviously didn't believe this, though, although she clearly wanted to think the best of him. Then her eyes had turned earnest. "But do be careful, Harry. If he is up to something, things could go badly very quickly."

"I will," he'd promised. It wasn't an empty promise, either. He intended to be careful - but he also intended to dig into whatever secret Artemis was keeping. If it had something to do with Voldemort, they needed to know.

Artemis seemed to sense his suspicion and strayed farther away from the trio of friends, hardly speaking to them. The distance made Harry's job harder, but it let he and his friends talk more freely about the Irish boy at meals, and made it easier to avoid awkward questions from him. The only times he really saw Artemis were at meals, a ways down the table, in the few classes they had together, and in their dorm. And at those times Artemis almost never met his eyes, and didn't speak a word to him. The boy mostly kept to himself as far as Harry could tell. He didn't have any friends, and rarely spoke to anyone at all. The total of three times Harry had seen him in the common room, he'd been doing his homework in silence, reading, or staring into space, thinking hard about something or other. He took pills in the morning and at night, never said what they were for (and nobody asked), and only had brief interactions with those in his classes.

It could be said that he was shy, but Harry didn't think that was the case. He had too sharp of a tongue to be a 'shy' person. He wasn't afraid to speak out in class, didn't blush under the gazes of his peers, or dodge people in the halls. He was aloof, silent, and cold.

It was downright creepy.

Harry had told Dumbledore of his suspicions, just as he had told him about Malfoy, but the headmaster responded the same way as before. He said he would take the right amount of precautions as he did with Malfoy, and would keep an eye on any suspicious parties. Harry wasn't entirely happy with it, but knew there was nothing more that could be done.

He just wished he knew what the secret was. If it didn't have to do with Voldemort, he would leave it alone, unless it was something equally as disastrous.

But he couldn't leave it until he knew.

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><p>Christmas loomed, and for a while tensions eased. Artemis knew Harry was suspicious of him (and didn't really blame him much, although it wasn't a nice thing to think about), and did his best to avoid he and his friends, but when Christmas arrived, Harry disappeared to stay with the Weasleys, and Artemis was whisked away back to Fowl Manor, to his endless relief.<p>

Despite his best efforts, Artemis Fowl Senior couldn't make it home for Christmas, so Artemis spent it with his mother, his younger brothers, Butler and Juliet, and Holly. For the most part, the holiday was restful. Artemis didn't have to worry about keeping his secret for once while away from the prying eyes of the wizards, and found it extremely relieving to be able to head out with Holly on the full moon without worrying about being caught.

Butler frequently shot him worried glances, which Artemis deflected with frowns. The two of them didn't speak much over the holiday - at least, not about Hogwarts - a fact that made Artemis uneasy. Butler didn't talk much, period, but he usually confided in Artemis, especially when he feared for his safety. It was unsettling, but Artemis had no doubts that he would get a few stern warnings before he went back to school again.

Too quickly for comfort, the days passed, and suddenly Artemis stood in King's Cross Station with his suitcase (filled with new clothes, more pills, and a couple of his presents) and an anxious frown. Holly howevered just behind him, shielded. Butler, as they neared the entrance to Platform 9 3/4, bent down to Artemis' eye level, and Artemis knew that this was what the older man had been trying to say throughout the holiday.

"Be careful," he warned quietly. "Holly told me about Harry Potter being suspiscious of you." Artemis resisted the urge to cast an accusatory look at his invisible friend. "Don't do anything unusual unless you have you. And I know, you're not a normal teenager, and now that they all know you some, they're not expecting you to be, so don't change. But Artemis, just _be careful_."

"I do try to." Artemis tried to sound indignant, but the words just came out flat.

"Try harder, then." With strain evident on his face, Butler straightened and motioned Artemis toward the wall. "Check in soon," he instructed, and then Artemis stepped through the gateway, back to wizarding school.

It was supposed to be fun, at least a little bit, Artemis reflected. Interesting, at the least. He wasn't supposed to feel nothing but tension and anxiety as he walked toward the train, and toward school life. He wasn't supposed to dread arriving at Hogwarts, or going to class. He'd been prepared for stress, certainly; but he'd expected things to be easier than this, foolishly.

Silently, he stared out the window and watched the other students board. The break had given him a bit of rest, though, fortunately. He'd gotten a new supply of pills, regained some level of normality, and prepared himself for his return to school enough that he felt at least a tiny bit more secure than normal as he sat alone on the train as the doors closed and it pulled away from the station.

He spun his wand absently in one hand and kept his eyes on the blur of scenery as they started off to Hogwarts once more.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the very short chapter, but there wasn't a whole lot for me to say here, I think. The next one will be longer, I promise. <em>And<em>, it's already written, and just needs to be looked over. So that's good. And Chapter 12 is being written, too! What do you know, I'm actually keeping up with my promise!**

**Thank you all for your support (and your bribes; cake is definitely the way to get me to write, ha), I really appreciate it. And to celebrate getting back into the swing of things and actually updating regularly, I'm here to announce that the 120th reviewer gets a one-shot of their choice! I think I'll be doing this for every ten or twenty reviews, too, because I've never written a one-shot before, and I'd like to get in some extra writing practice! So the 120th reviewer, you get to give me a writing prompt! Something interesting, please.**

**Except smut; I can't do smut. *frowny face* At the very least, I wouldn't publish it.**

**So, a one-shot of your choice within reason, anyway. I will have the power to play with the idea a bit, though, and change things up, but if there's something you _really, really _want to happen, I'll almost definitely do that. The one-shot can be for either of the fandoms in this story, or in any of my others, for the most part. Please, suggest anything. :)**

**I'll leave you with that, then, as an incentive to review. That said, please review anyway, offer of a one-shot or no, and tell me what you think. I'd really love it, and as always it improves the story. :D**


	11. Chapter 11: Complications

**Well, I guess no one-shot then.**

**For all of you that mentioned it, yes it did occur to me that people wouldn't review in an attempt to be the 120th reviewer, but I just thought I would try it. Instead of a one-shot, here's the next chapter. Yay! I'm not really happy with this first part but...*sigh* It'll have to do.**

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><p>Harry was lying in the dark of the hospital wing, nursing the cracked skull McLaggen had given him - he swore he would kill him - puzzling over how he could go about finding out what Malfoy and Artemis were up to, with Ron sleeping beside him, when suddenly the idea hit him.<p>

"Kreacher," he whispered, attempting to straighten the bandages on his head as he sat up. The house elf he now owned cracked into existence in front of the bed, apparently wrestling with...something. Ron sat bolt upright beside him, hissing out a, "what the hell?" even as Harry cast the spell _Muffliato_ so that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't hear.

Ron and Harry both hurried out of bed to tear Kreacher away from what Harry could now tell was Dobby. Dobby was squeaking threats at Kreacher all the while, while Kreacher snarled.

"Stop fighting!" Harry said, only half whispering now. "Kreacher, er, I order you to stop fighting Dobby. Dobby..."

The other house elf stilled, and Harry was able to put him back on the ground. Hesitantly, Ron released a grumbling, clearly unhappy Kreacher. "Dobby will listen to Harry Potter," Dobby said, although he scowled heavily at Kreacher and sniffled.

"Right," Harry said. "Actually, this worked out better than expected." Ron frowned at him. "I'd like you, Kreacher, to follow Malfoy." Kreacher's angry gaze turned from Dobby to Harry, the look in his eyes murderous. Realization - and apprehension - dawned in Ron's eyes, and he blinked. "And Dobby, if you could keep an eye on Artemis Fowl - he goes here, too, in Gryffindor house, in my dorm, and he wears suits..."

"Dobby has seen him," Dobby verified, straightening with importance.

"Great. And - and Kreacher: you're not allowed to talk to Malfoy, or tip him off at all that you're following him - you can't contact him whatsoever, or give him any idea that you're looking in on him - is that clear?"

Kreacher sneered unhappily, tiny hands fisting in his pillowcase outfit. "Yes Master," he growled, turning his furious eyes to the floor.

"Good. And Dobby, I know you won't tell Artemis, but just to make sure - don't give him any clues, he's very smart..." Harry tried to ignore Ron's exasperated expression. "You'll probably be fine," he finished. "Just follow the two of them around the clock, yeah? And, er, report to me occasionally, but make sure there aren't any other people around when you do it, except Ron and Hermione...okay?"

Kreacher bowed, practically trembling with hatred, while Dobby just beamed up at Harry. "Yes, Master," Kreacher sniffed.

"Don't tell anyone what you're doing," Harry added. Ron shifted beside him, and Harry heard him try to stifle a sigh. "Just be careful."

Kreacher's lip curled angrily, while Dobby nodded. And then they both cracked out of existence.

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><p>Everything was going well for Artemis upon his return to Hogwarts, and the months passed without any incident. He met up with Holly every month, although he convinced her to stay invisible and talk quietly while they were out, because of some itching sensation in his head trying to convince him someone was watching.<p>

He did, however, feel quite stretched between responsibilities, and the feeling intensified as the days passed. Harry's suspicion of him hadn't eased, despite the fact that the other boy didn't keep such a close eye on him anymore; the homework, despite being quite easy, came in mounds, and very rarely did Artemis not have work awaiting him after class; it became harder to contact Foaly as a result of that, and also anxiety about being spied on (the itching was insistent and very rarely ceased); and the pills seemed to be running out. He knew this last was probably just his imagination (there was still a pleasantly full rattling when he shook the bottle), but the only certainty he had in this situation was that with the pills, things were relatively controlled - at least in his head - and without them, he would spiral into paranoia and fear and obsession once more. And so he became almost depressingly dependent on them, and always when he returned from breakfast, he feared they would be missing from the drawer in his bedside table. But always, they were there.

Of course, the stability, however flimsy, had to stop at some point. An extended period of security was ridiculous to even hope for.

And so he wasn't even very surprised (although he did jerk back) when he opened the drawer and found it empty.

"Of course," he muttered to himself as he dropped to his knees and searched underneath the bed. "Of course, of course, of course." It became a mantra as true fear started to overtake him, and he began digging through his things, tossing clothes all over the floor, ripping the sheets off his bed in near-panic.

He almost resorted to going through the other boys' bags, but held himself back just in time with a shudder. "No," he said to himself, backing away from Ron's things and sitting on his own bed, now stripped bare. He almost tripped over the pile of sheets pooled at the end of the bed, but managed to fall onto the bed instead of the floor. "You'll live," he told himself, straightening his tie in an effort to regain some of his sanity. He had to sit for a moment on the bed, gripping the edges of the mattress for support. When he'd calmed down some, he silently put together his bed again, replacing the sheets and blankets. Then he moved along to refolding his clothes and placing them back in his suitcase. He took his phone from where it had fallen on the ground and slipped it into his pocket, and also removed an acorn from its bag as an afterthought before zipping his suitcase and standing up. The feeling of being watched itched at the back of his skull, but he pushed it away.

"Just the Complex," he muttered. He began to pace the room, trying to keep his thoughts in control. He couldn't go to class, not the way he was now. He wouldn't be able to concentrate, would attract too much attention, might be sent down to the hospital wing, and he couldn't let that happen, who knows what trouble that would cause, especially because tonight was the full moon, and he wouldn't be able to go and see Holly -

She could bring him new pills though, and he'd only have to go a day without them, only a day of dealing with Orion, and everything else. He could do that. He almost took his phone out right there and texted Foaly, who would certainly get the message to Holly, but the itching feeling stopped him, and he decided to wait until he was pretty sure that he was alone before making contact.

He checked that he had everything he needed - wand, acorn, phone - and swept out of the dorm, in search of...somewhere. Somewhere safe, where he coud hide until midnight, and where he could text Foaly, and where no one would find him.

He must have wandered for half an hour before he came across a boys' bathroom. Normally, he wouldn't have gone in - bathrooms weren't very dignified to hide in, and someone was bound to come in and find him eventually - but the itching wouldn't leave him alone, Orion was stirring deep inside his mind - and he knew normal people with Multiple Personality Disorder couldn't talk to their alter-egos, but he'd always thought that it must be the magic in his system - and he was feeling overwhelmed and feeling like so many eyes were watching him all at once he would never escape, and so he pushed the old door open and took precisely ten steps inside before finding a stall and taking five steps inside that, where he closed the stall door, sat on the toilet, and put his head in his hands and tried to stay sane.

* * *

><p>Once he'd somewhat composed himself - nearly an hour after his arrival in the bathroom - Artemis texted Foaly. <em>Out of pills<em>, he typed, his hands trembling slightly despite his best efforts. _Have Holly bring some with her tonight._ Foaly didn't respond within a few minutes, so Artemis huffed out a shaking breath, feeling betrayed (even though he knew he shouldn't), and put his phone away.

He passed the time by trying to fight Orion off, holding him away from the forefront of his mind with barriers of thought. It was hard, though, for him to focus only on keeping his alter-ego at bay, especially when the entire world seemed to be conspiring against him. The faucet dripped in a rhythm of four drops per minute, Orion seemed to bang against the walls at the same rate, Foaly refused to text him back and assure him that Holly would be coming with pills, and now, _now_, someone was opening the door.

Sucking in a breath, Artemis drew his legs up onto the seat so that his chin rested on his bony knees, and he tried to be as quiet as possible.

The footsteps were uneven, and brought sobs and ragged breaths with them, as the owner of the steps came inside and, judging by the slapping of skin against stone, half-collapsed on the counter. Artemis winced and curled himself further into a ball. He hoped his poor balance wouldn't betray him now, and send him tumbling over the side of the toilet. He frowned at the very thought, before his attention was drawn back toward the occurrences outside.

To his surprise, a girl's voice spoke. "Oh, Draco, shh." Confused, Artemis shifted as quietly as possible on the toilet seat. The crying continued, even as the girl kept talking. "Tell me what's wrong," she coaxed. "Draco..."

It occurred to Artemis, a beat late, that she was talking to Malfoy. He silently cursed the Complex for slowing his brain, and Orion, who had resumed his attempts to break into the forefront of Artemis' mind in a manner that suggested his was throwing his imaginary body against Artemis' imaginary walls. It was all far too distracting.

The attempted soothing continued, the girl making sympathetic noises while Malfoy whimpered. Artemis, to be honest, felt a little bad for the other boy, but he remembered Malfoy's smug look and frowned. The feeling faded somewhat.

The girl kept trying to rouse Malfoy from his evident turmoil, while Artemis tried to ignore Orion's escape attempts. "I can help you," the girl cajoled. "Don't cry, I can help."

"No one can help me," Malfoy rasped. "I can't...no one can..." He trailed off, and Artemis pictured him shaking, just as the boy genius himself was - although for a different reason, of course. "I can't do it, but if I don't, he'll...I'll...there's no way...I can't..." And then he gave a huge sob, and then took a huge breath, and then Artemis saw, through the gap underneath the stall, Malfoy's feet wheel around, and heard him shout a hex. The boy genius cowered against the back of the toilet, and tried to keep on the seat. His palms were uncomfortably sweaty, and he felt very young all of a sudden, especially when Orion finally broke through and shouted - as much as one can shout inside a shared mind - _Artemis! You've been very rude, keeping me out._

_Not now, Orion,_ Artemis ordered. A voice that sounded like Harry Potter's shouted, things shattered, and Malfoy yelled, and the girl was screaming, "Stop it! Stop it, STOP!" And suddenly water was spreading over the floor, slicking the tiles, and Artemis swore he could hear the jinxes themselves flying, and he tried to curl up further.

_Stop them!_ Orion declared._ Be brave, for once! The Princess will be pleased._

Artemis didn't know if he could move, though. He was shaking too badly, and now silver fours were dancing at the corners of his eyes. _Not now,_ he repeated to his alter. He closed his eyes tightly, and tried to ignore the battle raging outside, until Malfoy began, "_Cruci-"_

Artemis flinched, recognizing the illegal curse before it was even completed, but before he had even stood up on the slick tiles, ready to jump in and interfere now - for some reason his brain had decided to stop working properly, _again_ - Harry screamed, "_SECTUMSEMPRA!"_

Artemis threw the stall door open to see blood burst from Malfoy's face and chest, pouring out from him and turning the water red. The girl screamed, and Artemis could now see that she was transparent a ghost, and Harry looked utterly horrified as he took in Artemis, and Malfoy falling in his own blood, and then the Boy Who Lived rushed forward to catch his victim.

Orion clambered inside Artemis' mind, drinking in the action. _Call for help,_ he ordered, and for once Artemis didn't argue with him, just stumbled toward the door, his expensive shoes now soaked and ruined, just as Snape exploded inside, his face paling as he registered the scene. Then he pushed Artemis aside, sending the boy genius sprawling onto the tiles, wet and bloody, and forced Harry away from Malfoy's weakly struggling form. The fours closed in, and Artemis crawled back into the nearest stall, shaking violently. Orion tried to say something, but Artemis clapped his hands over his ears (as if that would keep the being inside his mind from speaking) and tried to erect his barriers again. He didn't realized his eyes were closed until he cracked them open again, and saw Snape supporting Malfoy as the blood-soaked boy hobbled toward the door. Snape snapped something at Harry - probably an order to stay put - and the black-haired boy didn't argue for once, just looked broken as he watched the two Slytherins leave.

Artemis expected Harry to move, confront him, but nothing happened. Slowly, Artemis removed his hands from his ears, and recognized the ragged breathing he'd been hearing as his own, although Harry was panting, too, obviously horrified by what he'd done.

_Ask him what spell that was,_ Orion commanded, and in his stunned state, Artemis almost listened. His mouth even opened, before he realized what was happening, and closed it again, shrinking back into the wall.

_Don't order me around,_ he protested weakly, shuddering. The fours were coming closer, despite how hard Artemis tried to banish them. Panic bubbled in his chest, and he wanted to disappear, but with Harry right there, he couldn't just _vanish._ _I'm the dominant personality,_ he asserted, at least as much as he could in his state. _You cannot tell me what to do._

Orion sighed. _I'm only trying to help,_ he sulked. _You don't make it very easy._

_Can you get rid of the fours?_ Artemis tried after a pause. And then, _I'll be more willing to listen to you if you do._

Orion frowned, crossing his arms inside Artemis' head. _No. Just get control of yourself, and perhaps they'll fade._

_It is a little bit had to do with you distracting me._

No comment. Artemis figured that was Orion's way of listening, although he didn't usually...perhaps exerting authority over his alter was the way to go about things. Making deals. He shivered at the thought.

It didn't work though, getting rid of the fours. He tried to think of something else, anything else, but with the bloody water slowly soaking through his clothes, and Harry breathing hard nearby, and now with Snape coming back in and preparing to yell, he just couldn't get his mind off of them. They weren't coming any closer now, at least, just hovering ominously nearby as he shuddered in fear.

_Call the noble steed,_ Orion put in. Artemis managed to summon some of his sarcasm to reply.

_That will go over splendidly, I'm sure, with these two present._

_Later then._

Artemis realized belatedly that the ghost girl was wailing, but only when she stopped. Snape ordered her away, and then turned to Artemis, who couldn't fight back a flinch. Harry watched half-heartedly, his interest in Artemis for once absent.

"You too, Mr. Fowl," Snape growled. He normally might have been amused by Artemis' exaggerated reaction of fear, but Artemis supposed the conditions didn't call for it. "Unless you need to see Madam Pomfrey as well." He eyed Artemis' wet, bloodied suit with distaste. Artemis' hand went to his Gryffindor tie, covering it almost protectively.

"No sir," the boy genius managed to say. His mouth was dry, his tongue almost entirely unresponsive.

"Then go get cleaned up," Snape commanded, and Artemis shakily stood up, wincing away from the four that had just appeared behind him. Slowly, he shuffled out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. There was no one in the hall, despite the commotion, so he shielded and headed to the entrance of Hogwarts, too afraid to venture up to the dorm in his condition, afraid that someone would be up there, and see him, and...

He slipped outside and hid in the bushes, shuddering, for the remainder of the day.

* * *

><p><strong>I actually just finished writing Chapter 12. I really like it, and I'm excited to post it. When I post chapters I'll try to be a chapter ahead of myself, at least, which is working out so far. So that's good.<strong>

**Anyway, thank you all for reviewing anyway, despite the one-shot thing. I've gotten like twenty new reviews, so that's awesome. :D**

**I appreciate all of your support. Chapter 12 should be up sometime next week; that's when Chapter 13 should be all written up. Looks like this story is going to be between 15 and 20 chapters. Already it's my longest story. :)**

**(And for anyone whose read my other stories and is waiting for The Crossover - I've got lots of chapters written, but I want to wait until I've got this whole story written ((if not posted)) to put that up. It looks really awesome, and it's so fun to write - I hope you'll enjoy it when I finally get things in order and post it.)**

**As usual, please review and tell me what you think. I appreciate all feedback. Next chapter things start to get serious. :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Some Answers

Artemis struggled out of the bushes at midnight, sore, hungry, and exhausted. All he wanted was for Holly to get here, and soon (and possibly for her to bring some food along). The itching tormented him, and several times as he walked toward the lake he turned in circles to make sure no one was around. There was never anyone there when he looked.

Worse, he could feel his magic draining, leaving him feeling empty and helpless. All he could manage was to keep his shield going as he sat down beside the water. His wand would be useless, and so would shielding, soon enough. He was never one for praying - wasn't a religious person at all - but found himself doing so as he waited, occasionally feeling himself flicker into visibility. He hugged himself, pulling his knees to him like he had in the bathroom, and shook.

All at once, his shield failed him entirely, and the fours, which had been suspiciously well-behaved for the rest of the day, crept closer, as if sensing his oncoming breakdown. He tucked his head in between his chest and his knees and tried to ignore them, but it was impossible. He imagined he could feel their electric heat on his skin, and he couldn't stop shuddering.

_Perhaps I'll have control now?_ Orion asked, hopefully. Artemis despised him. _I can interrogate Mr. Potter, since you refuse to. I think I'll get more done, all around. And I can spend time with the Princess as well._ His voice was wistful.

_I refuse to give you any amount of control,_ Artemis spat. _Leave me be._

_I really can't._

Artemis wanted to lash out at something, vent his aggressions. Holly wasn't here yet - he never should have trusted her to be, never should have trusted Foaly to give her the message - the itching was now almost painful, and Orion kept lamenting his loneliness inside Artemis' head, not to mention the fours, all around, coming closer.

"Mr. Fowl!" a familiar, sharp voice shouted, but he didn't move, didn't even look up. The voice neared, but he refused to react. It was probably just a hallucination - he knew the fours weren't real, despite the sight edge of pain they were now causing, being so close, and the way they looked so very _there_, and he knew this wasn't real either - so he ignored it.

"Mr. Fowl," the voice repeated, and it sounded very much like Professor McGonagall, especially this close. The voice was more concerned now, and coming closer. It was very convincing, as far as hallucinations went. There were even footsteps, muffled because of the grass, and the rustle of skirts. Artemis would have been impressed, if he weren't so pointedly not paying attention. "Mr. Fowl, what are you doing out here at this time of night?" Artemis hoped, if the hallucination was real, in fact actually his Head of House, that she wouldn't notice him trembling in the darkness. Despite the full moon, the night was still very black. Maybe it was real, he thought doubtfully, but still refused to look up. Just in case. He couldn't trust his instincts at this point - the itching had led him nowhere, after all. "Mr. Fowl..." she trailed off, now clearly worried.

A hesitant hand settled on his shoulder, startling him, and he jerked away, almost tumbling into the lake in the process. Now he had to look, although he tried very hard to avoid the fours hovering all around, focusing instead on the figure of his Transfiguration professor, staring at him in shock. She met his eyes, and hers widened considerably. She fished out her wand and pointed it at him. It crossed his mind, too late, that he must look terrible. Bloody, leaves and sticks in his hair and on his clothes, his suit possibly torn, not even entirely dry yet, his eyes wild.

_You need a shower,_ Orion offered, so _very_ helpfully. Artemis thought that if he could throttle his alter, he would.

"Come with me, Mr. Fowl," McGonagall ordered, her tone clipped. "We need to talk." Her voice didn't tremble, although her eyes were worried.

Artemis found himself at a loss for words. What could he say? He didn't want to agree, and come along - he needed Holly here, he needed the pills - but he couldn't exactly say no, could he? And he was in no shape to fight her off. He had no magic left anymore, he thought, except maybe for a tiny healing. His wand was about as dangerous now as any stick in the Forbidden Forest. And there was no way he would be able to use physical force to escape if necessary - even if he hadn't been starving, tired, half-crazed, and out of magic, he was hardly strong.

"Mr. Fowl," the professor prompted, flicking her wand at him warningly. "On your feet."

As she spoke, the fours drifted closer, forming a tight circle around him and hissing. He felt the warmth of them as they sparked on his skin, and although he flinched, they were all around, and he almost fell into one behind him. His heart thudded so loudly he could hardly hear.

McGonagall must have seen something in his eyes as she looked at him again, because she set her jaw, readied her wand, and said, "_Stupefy._"

It was almost a gift to slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Minerva McGonagall had Dobby transport the stray exchange student to her office, while she used the normal method - that was, walking - to join them.<p>

"Dobby just saw him Miss," the house elf gibbered, for probably the third time, as she walked into the room and closed the door. "Dobby was walking around and saw him, and he was _flickering_, Miss-"

She didn't know how she was supposed to interpret that, but now wasn't the time to interrogate Dobby. She had to take care of Mr. Fowl, who was currently lying on the floor by Minverva's desk and beginning to stir. Normally, she would have brought him to the headmaster's office. But with Dumbledore gone out with Mr. Potter...well, that would do no good now. She took her mind off of that and instead focused on taking the exchange student's wand and slipping it into her pocket, even as he awakened. "We'll speak later," she told Dobby, and with a bit of a pout, he snapped his fingers and vanished.

"Mr. Fowl," she scolded as the boy's eyes blinked blearily open. She turned her complete attention to him, trying to stay away from the subject of _flickering_ for the moment. "You've been missing from all of your classes today, and couldn't be found in your dormitory. Professor Snape reported seeing you in the bathroom when Mr. Malfoy was injured, and said he sent you off. Where have you been, and what were you doing out on school grounds at this time of night?" She rattled the questions off briskly, her wand at the ready in case the student for some reason proved hostile.

He blinked at her for a moment.

"Well? I know you aren't thick, Mr. Fowl, and if you refuse to answer me we'll have to revert to other methods." The thought of using Veritaserum on a student repulsed her. It might be necessary, however. Mr. Fowl had already been suspicious (at least according to one Harry Potter, although McGonagall didn't entirely disagree), and with staying out late at night thrown into the mix...well. Not to mention Dobby's so-called _flickering_.

A few more blinks and then, "Hullo." The boy's voice, normally cold and formal, was now absurdly cheerful, although with a healthy shot of confusion. "What...oh, right, yes!" He pointed at her. "You shot that spell at me, didn't you? I suppose I should be offended, but I really must thank you. It's been too long since I've been out." He stretched his fingers experimentally and grinned sunnily, to McGonagall's astonishment. And then he straightened importantly, lifting his chin in a regal manner. "I'm Orion, by the way. The brave knight to Artemis' cowardly dragon." Another stupidly happy grin.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Minerva snapped, unnerved. Now she pointed her wand at him, although he hardly reacted at all to the threat. "If you refuse to answer me, I'll have to revert to more unpleasant methods."

"Artemis is a nice enough fellow, for the most part," the self-named Orion began thoughtfully, "but he can be very much a coward, and boarish. I, however, am very brave, and very not-boarish. Also friendlier, although I'm not often given the opportunity to speak to people. Despite his lack of skill, Artemis insists on commandeering conversations." The smile faded slightly, accompanied by an exaggerated eye-roll.

"So you've taken over a student's body?" It didn't sound like a recent thing, however, the way he'd been talking. Minerva feared it had been going on for a long while; perhaps it had started at the very beginning of the school year.

Orion blinked. "It's my body, too," he said, in almost a scolding manner. "It's mine just as much as Artemis'. Granted, it was his own first, but now we share it." And then, startingly, he froze, features hardening into concentration. Minerva's grip tightened around her wand, and even as she was preparing to cast a spell, the boy winced, and jolted back to life. "Sorry," he told her, rolling his head on his neck until it cracked. "He's doing an awful lot of banging; more than the last time. But he won't get out just yet! I've still got to see the Princess." Orion's face softened, eyes turning dreamy. It was a shocking expression on the usually sharp, stern young face.

"Who are you talking about?" Minerva questioned, keeping her wand trained on the boy.

He seemed about to answer, but then paused, and replied instead, "I would tell you." This came with a wistful sigh. "She'll be very angry with me, though." His expression became determined. "So I won't."

"There will be consequences."

He lifted his chin once more, but this time in a defiant way. "I don't care." He almost appeared to be pouting.

Minerva didn't want to, really. He still _looked_ like a student, even if he wasn't at all. She kept at the front of her mind the idea that the real owner of the body was, according to its current occupent, fighting to get dominance, and used the rush of anger that gave her to say, "_Confundus._" She didn't want to render Orion unconscious again, in case it would bring back Artemis. She wanted to rescue the boy, of course (despite the fact that she didn't much like him), but she needed to question his oppressor. At least, by using the truth serum, she would be sure to get a truthful answer for the most important questions.

The boy (or rather, the one possessing him) blinked, swaying, and McGonagall took this opportunity to take him by the arm and hoist him off the floor, from which he hadn't moved once besides sitting up. "Come along, Mr. Orion," she said briskly, leading him from her office. He followed without resistance, his expression puzzled.

It took a little bit, and another casting of the spell, to make it down to Professor Slughorn's dungeon room. By the time they arrived, Orion was coming out of his stupor, and beginning to shake his head in an attempt to focus once more. Minerva knocked sharply on the potion professor's door, and was rewarded when it swung open just a moment later.

"Minerva!" Horace boomed, filling the doorway to his classroom. Orion had roused further, but not enough to avoid being confused by the walrus of a man in front of him. "And Mr. Fowl! Welcome, welcome, welcome! How can I help you?" He glanced at the way McGonagall's hand was wrapped around her student's bony wrist. "Has there been some trouble?"

"You could say that," Minerva replied dryly. "May we come in, Horace? We'd like use of your facilities."

The man looked nervous, but said, "Yes, of course, of course. Come inside." He moved aside to allow them entry, waddling over to his desk at the front of the room. "Is there anything in particular you need?"

McGonagall thinned her lips unhappily. "Veritaserum."

Horace blinked, glancing between student and teacher. Orion blinked back at him, eyes still foggy with the effects of the spell. "What's happened?" The man began to look pale, although he attempted a joking air. "Gotten into a bit of a pickle, Mr. Fowl?"

Orion squinted, apparently trying to make sense of this. "Knights don't get into pickles," he replied several tense seconds later, slowly, raising his head slightly again in an attempt to look superior.

"Knights," Horace repeated.

"I'm afraid we're not dealing with Artemis, Horace," Minerva said. "You'll understand, soon, hopefully, as will I. Veritaserum, _please_?"

The large man seemed to be trying to respond, but instead just closed his mouth and nodded. "Right, right, yes..." he trailed off as he disappeared into his office.

While he busied himself with his search, Minerva took Orion along with her as she found a chair. He sat in it readily enough, suddenly swaying in a way that couldn't have been from the spell before he collapsed into it. He looked much paler, now, the color of paper, and clutched the edges of the chair.

"Is there a problem?" McGonagall questioned, watching him carefully.

Orion's wide-eyed expression turned determined. "I'm perfectly fine," he answered, borderline haughty. "Never you..." his voice faded, but he was saved from questions on the subject when Horace came hobbling in again, cradling a vial of liquid in one hand. He offered this to Minerva, who took it reluctantly.

"Call Severus, would you?" she appealed. "We might need his assistance."

Horace's face twisted unhappily, but he sighed and agreed. "Very well." He disappeared into his office once more.

"Do you plan to poison me?" Orion demanded of McGonagall as soon as the man had left. "I am not as weak as you seem to think. I am very much a knight. I even have a noble steed, although he will not allow me to ride upon his back." There was something far-off in his eyes, distant and out of reality. It twisted Minerva's stomach, with both uncertainty and pity. Whoever he was, Orion didn't live in the same world that everyone else did. If he'd spent so much time inside Artemis' mind, as he claimed, it would be possible to lose touch with reality, but Minerva didn't think anyone could wander this far off the path, at least in a year. Perhaps in a few, but certainly it wouldn't happen in just one, would it?

"He's coming," Horace announced as he entered the room again. "Probably be here in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Horace," Minerva said, stepping back from the boy in the chair. "_Incarcerous._" Ropes sprang out of thin air and bound Orion to the chair, where he struggled for a moment, legs kicking before they, too, were tied.

"Wasn't going to run away," he pouted, slouching. His hair fell into his eyes, unusually dishevelled. The black of it contrasted sharply with the snow-white of his skin. He almost looked like a ghost, complete with the zombie-like bags under his eyes that spoke of a long while without sleep.

"We couldn't take a chance," Horace jumped in. "You understand." He seemed to ignore the annoyed look Minerva shot him, but she knew he'd caught it. She didn't appreciate him butting in, although she felt childish for thinking it.

Sooner than expected, Severus swept inside, cloak swishing out behind him. Orion looked up at him curiously, and when he saw the boy tied to the chair, Snape's eyes hardened.

"Trouble?" he drawled in his typical nasally voice.

"I'm afraid so," McGonagall sighed. "I was planning to use Veritaserum," she flashed the other professor the vial she'd obtained, "but I thought perhaps your services would also be necessary."

"And what exactly is the problem?"

McGonagall nodded to the boy tied to the chair. "You'll find out soon enough." She approached Orion, who looked up at her through his hair, eyes wide and innocent, but with an edge of determination in them, and uncorked the vial of Veritaserum. "Open," she commanded, unsurprised when the boy clenched his jaw and shook his head stubbornly. "Mr. Orion," she scolded, but still he fought against her, squeezing his eyes shut and struggling. Seeing no other option, she once again said, "_Confundus,_" and watched as the boy's eyes fogged again. "Open," she repeated, pulling at his mouth, and this time he complied, blinking sluggishly. She tipped the vial until three drops of the liquid were pooled on his tongue, and then retreated. "Swallow." He obeyed readily enough, although his face was the picture of uncertainty. And then it slowly cleared, and McGonagall said, "_Rennervate,_" to rouse him.

The confusion faded quickly, and the boy straightened a little in his chair. Snape and Horace stood on either side of Minerva as she stepped back. The three teachers made a wall in front of the imprisoned boy, who was half-smiling obliviously at them.

"You are not Artemis Fowl, correct?" Minerva asked, ignoring the side-looks given to her by her co-workers.

"No," Orion said cheerfully. McGonagall saw out of the corner of her eye Snape's scowl deepen, and Horace pale further, by a few shades.

"What's your name?" she went on. "Full name."

"Orion Fowl." The same surname as Artemis, surprisingly. She wondered if he'd adopted it because he was posessing the boy, but he clearly believed it to be his own, so perhaps not.

"Are you related to Artemis?"

He actually giggled, resulting in a sneer from Severus. "As related as you can get to someone."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Severus jeered.

"Never mind that," Minerva interrupted, shooting Snape a look. He glared right back at her, but relented. Orion seemed about to answer the question anyway, but Minerva spoke before he could get anything out. "It's not important right now. What were you doing outside tonight? You said you were waiting for someone, correct?"

"Yes!" And now his face brightened, and his eyes shone. "We were supposed to meet the Princess! We waited all day, and all night." Here he turned mournful. "She still hasn't come."

Minerva took a step forward and met his eyes. "Who is she?"

"Captain Holly Short," Orion rattled off, sorrow turning to pride. "Of the LEP. Endlessly brave, selfless, and noble! The fair lady needs no looking after, although it would be my greatest preasure to do so for her." He looked so expectant and happy, McGonagall was momentarily overwhelmed with guilt. Veritaserum had always seemed unethical to her, and she'd never intended to use it on a student. She supposed Orion didn't count, but he looked like a much happier version of Artemis, and she couldn't get that thought out of her head. She wondered if this would be the start of her using the truth potion more frequently to get answers out of her students; a slippery slope to fall down indeed. She disguised a shudder by straightening her robe as she pulled away.

Severus continued to sneer at the boy, obviously amused. Horace too looked entertained, although he had the grace to blush when McGonagall locked eyes with him.

"Are you and she the same?" she questioned Orion, whose expression dropped into a sad one again.

"Not at all," he sighed. "I'm nothing more than a thought, I fear; she is as real as the trees, or the sun, or the stars. I am only an illusion, a product of guilt, magic, and fear. Sometimes I think I'm as real as anything. But sometimes I wonder if I won't just disappear one day." He didn't seem to think very deeply about things, and in fact didn't appear to even be very intelligent, but now he looked shaken, hollow, and terrified.

"What are you, then?" Minerva asked. And maybe, with the way his eyes were glinting, it was cruel, but she needed to know.

"I'm Artemis' alternate personality," he declared, stiffening his spine and straining against the ropes in a vain attempt to appear larger. The glint was still evident, hinting at tears, but they didn't escape and the boy met her eyes evenly.

"What do you mean by that?" Horace blurted, folding and unfolding his hands repeatedly in his lap.

Orion opened his mouth to respond, but then froze, and after a moment bared his teeth. Horace paled considerably, as if he thought the boy would break through his bindings, while Severus drew his wand.

"Don't try to fight the effects of the potion," Minerva ordered Orion, while thinking about what he'd said earlier - alternate personality. That was a disorder, wasn't it? So he wasn't _possessing _Artemis then, simply taking control-

Orion shook his head. "I promise you I'm not," he protested petulently through his teeth. "Artemis is-" he cut off, and then, suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he almost unbalenced the chair as his body turned limp.

Severus raised his wand and kept it pointed at the boy as he approached him. "He's not going to harm you," Minerva protested, guilt churning her gut. She shouldn't have given him the truth serum - if he and Artemis shared a body, then they were both her students, weren't they? She shuddered at the thought. Even if he...or they...were working for the Dark Lord...and she hadn't even gotten to that question yet. Horace looked like he might make a move to comfort her, but instead did nothing, staring with wide eyes as Snape examined the unconscious boy. Or boys, was it?

"Unresponsive," Snape confirmed after a few moments of strained silence. "It sounded like Mr. Fowl - the original, that is - was putting up a fight, however that would be possible." The typical sneer took up residence on his face once more.

"We should untie him." McGonagall moved to do so, but was stopped when Severus held up an arm to bar her way.

"We still don't know if he works for the Dark Lord," the greasy-haired man intoned. "This Holly Short of his could be in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

It was an unsettling thought, and didn't keep Minerva from wanting to release her pupil, but she had to admit that it was a possibility. She thinned her lips angrily, and stepped away.

"Perhaps one of us should go out and attempt to meet her," Slughorn offered, unusually timid. Minerva cursed his cowardice, displaying her displeasure with a frown, which the man ignored. "Take her in and question her, too."

Snape nodded in agreement, and although she hated to think it, Minerva thought it might not be a bad idea.

"Why don't you go, Horace?" she suggested. The potions professor paled further than he had yet, and wrung his hands.

"Well, well, I - I don't think I'm really-"

"I'm sure you can handle it," Minerva interrupted frostily. He stopped his protests with a frown.

"Indeed," Severus put in. His black eyes were disdainful as they met Horace's. "If you can handle it, of course. Otherwise, I'll be happy to go."

Horace met this challenge with a frustrated sigh. "Oh...fine. I'll take care of it." He pulled his wand out and waddled out of the room, brow furrowed. The door slammed shut behind him.

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><p><strong>I don't have the next chapter totally written, because I forgot to bring my copy of HP6 to my dad's and I sort of need that to wrap things up for Chapter 13. But don't worry. I'll have it all finished, and Chapter 14 as well, by next Saturday. I think Saturdays will probably be my update days, seeing as that's when I usually get these chapters up.<strong>

**I also offer my condolences to the MCR fandom, if there are any readers in that. I don't mean to upset you by mentioning it - but I'm truly sorry about everything, and it really is awful. I send all my love.**

**On a brighter note, things are really coming along with this story, despite my as-of-posting lack of book, and I'm so thankful for all of you, and your support, as usual. You guys really brighten my days with your reviews. So leave them, please!**

**And I hope you enjoyed Orion in this chapter. I feel like I got him at least pretty close to being in-character. Same with the other characters. If you guys have any suggestions or opinions about that, you know what to do.**

**See you on Saturday, then!**


	13. Chapter 13: Fowl and Short

**I'm actually updating on time for several weeks in a row? Unheard of! :D**

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><p>It took a while after Slughorn's departure for Orion to move again. At that time, Severus had departed to look over Horace's supply of potions, leaving McGonagall alone with their restrained student, who was only now shifting his head sluggishly.<p>

"All right, Mr. Fowl?" Minerva asked, clasping her hands behind her back in an attempt to seem unaffected by the situation. The guilt raged in her stomach, however, and she hated the look of the boy bound to the chair. But she couldn't untie him, not when even the slimmest possibility existed that he might be working with the Dark Lord, knowingly or not. Unknowingly, probably, if he was at all, but there was always the chance...and even if he wasn't working for He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, he was up to something...she couldn't really untie him until she'd made sure...

"For now," the boy replied, in a much darker tone than she'd heard him use before. Minerva opened her mouth, confused by the sudden change in demeanor, but all was explained when he glanced up, and that familiar cold intelligence had appeared again in his eyes.

"Artemis," she said, just to verify.

His expression fell minutely. "Yes." He'd changed, she noted with interest. His expression was a different one than she'd seen on him yet. As a teacher, she was used to trying to see beyond her students' masks, the faces they put on for the world, and catching glimpses of the people they were, and would become, but she'd never been able to crack Artemis. She hadn't even now. But she was seeing him thawed slightly, she realized, no longer the icy genius, prowling the halls alone. His expression was dark, and even slightly fearful, but not cold. Maybe she'd seen a smile on his face, only a short while ago, but it hadn't really been him. She wondered what it might look like, for Artemis and not Orion to smile.

And then he spoke, scattering her thoughts. "Was there honestly a need to tie me up?" Unlike Orion, he didn't pull at all against the restraints, just examined them with vague annoyance.

"I'm sorry," Minerva said, both trying to pour all her emotion into the phrase, and hold it all back at the same time. "We had to make sure you weren't a threat."

"And I'm still considered one?"

"I'm afraid so, yes. I just have to ask you a few questions to make sure."

He tilted his head curiously, but nodded. "Fine. Go ahead."

She was almost entirely sure that the Veritaserum would still be in effect, but with the alternate personality issue, she couldn't know absolutely. "Why were you outside?" If he gave the same answer as Orion, she would be able to continue with her questioning. If not, then she would either have to administer more serum, or have Severus look into the boy's mind, neither of which sounded particularly appealing.

The answer seemed to escape him without his permission. "Waiting for Holly." Eyes widening, he quickly clenched his jaw. Only then did he strain against his bonds. Something like panic stirred in his eyes, like the kind she'd seen by the lake; irrational, wild.

"Calm down," McGonagall reassured, "we won't hurt you."

Artemis blinked hard, and forcibly relaxed into the chair. His brow furrowed as he stared at the floor.

"I simply wanted to check that the Veritaserum was still working," she told him as gently as she could. "Now, last question. Are you in league with the Dark Lord?" She hoped he couldn't tell that she was holding her breath.

To her relief, his eyes went round, and then he scowled. "No. I promise you, I'm not." And then, thanks to the truth serum, he also couldn't back, "And neither is Holly."

Now she couldn't hide how thankful she was, but she managed not to slump as she released him. Severus walked into the room at that moment and frowned, but didn't argue. Clearly, although he didn't like the boy, he'd overheard the conversation, and couldn't deny the evidence. Artemis stood, but then immediately leaned on the nearest table, going snow white as Orion had before. Minerva noticed him shaking.

"Mr. Fowl," she prompted. "Is there something wrong?"

He seemed on the verge of shaking his head, but said, "I would appreciate some food."

"I can arrange for that," she allowed with a slight smile. "Severus?" He scowled at her, beady eyes blacker than usual with the strength of his irritation, but he swept out. The heavy dungeon door banged closed just behind him.

Artemis exhaustedly lowered himself into the chair again. McGonagall pulled another up in front of him and sat in it. "I'm not going to ask you any more questions," she told him. "I...don't wish to abuse the Veritaserum. It should wear off within five minutes." With that, she offered him a smile.

"Thank you." In an unusually meek gesture, he lowered his head and stared at his pale hands, clasped in his lap. And then, after a strained moment, he asked, "I asume someone has been sent to capture Holly?" in a voice strung with tension.

There wasn't any use denying it. "Yes. Professor Slughorn. He'll be back soon, I hope." She had questions for Artemis, of course, but she intended to stay true to her word, and held them back.

"If she actually decides to come," Artemis muttered angrily. He clenched his hands more firmly together in an almost convulsive motion.

"You had doubts that she would show?" Before she could stop it, the surprised inquiry escaped. And before she could assure him that he didn't have to answer, he replied.

"Yes. She should have gotten here already. It's probable something problematic ocurred, but forgive me if I doubt it." He seemed willing enough to answer, in a way that Minerva hoped wasn't due to the Veritaserum. He didn't give her any accusing looks, at least.

"I'm quite sure I would feel the same," she reassured. However, she did take note of the almost unnatural shade of darkness in his eyes that spoke of undue amounts of paranoia. She leaned back in her chair to examine him more thoroughly. She took in the slump in his posture, the whitness of his knuckles as his fists wrapped around each other anxiously, how he tried to keep his feet flat on the ground but always ended up curling them around the legs of the chair as if to keep himself on it. She wondered where the confident young man from her class had disappeared to. She supposed his mask was continuing to thaw.

If he noticed her scrutiny, he didn't acknowledge it, and in fact didn't speak at all until Severus came into the room once again, with Dobby the house elf behind him carrying a tray of food. It wasn't very much - a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a few crackers off to the side - but Artemis noticably livened up when he caught sight of it. Dobby's eyes were saucer-wide as he spotted the untied boy, and he seemed to actually tremble as he carefully handed the food over. Artemis clearly didn't care, if he'd even noticed. He accepted the food eagerly, and began eating it immediately, although he did manage it in his typical reserved manner.

"Why didn't you simply send it here?" Minerva addressed Severus, rising to her feet.

"The house elf and I were having a little chat," the other professor said with a voice like ice, casting a superior look at Dobby. Dobby pouted slightly. Minerva was surprised he'd said anything to Snape. Clearly, Dobby didn't like him. "He was telling me some rather interesting things about Mr. Fowl's appearance by the lake." Dobby's ears flattened, his pout turning to a frown. "Something about _flickering_."

Artemis glanced up, gaze as dark as when he'd first taken back control from Orion, but lowered his eyes to his food when Snape caught his eye. He resumed eating, although more slowly and carefully, clearly listening to the conversation.

"Yes," McGonagall agreed, turning her eyes to her student once more. "Dobby told me as well, although he didn't specify what he meant, exactly."

Now the adults' eyes went to Dobby, who blinked at them uncertainly. "Well, er, Dobby saw...Mr. Fowl..._vanishing_." He seemed to prefer to address Minerva, and so he did, eyes pleading. "Miss, Dobby saw him keep going invisible, and then not." The house elf wrung his hands. "Flickering."

A clang sounded from behind them - they'd turned their backs to speak to Dobby - and they whirled around to find Artemis pushing his tray of food, now empty, away. "Thank you for the meal," he murmured, dull eyes now roaming the classroom, never resting on one place too long. "If at all possible, I'd be much obliged to see a bed." He did look exhausted, although he had a bit more color in his cheeks thanks to the soup. But Minerva couldn't let him go.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fowl. We have to keep you here at least until we've found your friend." She tried to be calm about it, but with the rememberance of Dobby's flickering, and now that his meaning had been decoded, she felt on-edge, and it showed in her voice. Artemis didn't seem surprised, though. He quietly said, "Of course," with the only hint of argument being in the way his hands twisted, and his eyes flashed.

Minerva resumed her place opposite him.

"I'll be sorting through the potions cupboard," Severus told them smoothly, "if you require me." Minerva thought she heard him mutter, before he'd disappeard into the small room, "God knows it needs cleaning."

BREAK

Almost an hour after he'd left, Horace erupted into the room once more with a struggling figure in black at his arm. He pushed it away from him and slammed the door behind him, face purple and breath ragged.

Minerva had retrieved some homework from her office only a short while ago, and wanted nothing more than to get the grading done, but she whipped out her wand and stood as Slughorn came inside. Snape emerged slightly from the potions closet, pointing his own wand at the short figure in the center of the room.

Artemis, who had seemed to be half-asleep before, was now wide-eyed and on his feet.

The figure reached for its waist, freezing when it found no weapon there. It glanced around the room - or at least that's what it looked like it was doing, it was hard to tell with the helmet on it - but stopped at Artemis.

"I had hoped you would come earlier," Artemis said quietly, shortly. Anger hummed in his voice.

"I was a bit held up," the figure said in a woman's voice. Although she sounded as angry as Artemis, an apology was hidden in her words.

"You are Holly Short?" Snape drawled. The tiny woman twisted to face him after a swift glance at Artemis, who just stared blankly back at her.

"Yes," she nearly growled. After a hesitation, she reached up and removed her helmet. She had, to Minerva's surprise, large pointed ears, and mismatched eyes, just as Artemis did. Auburn hair sat shortly cropped on her head. She turned to glare at Artemis.

"It wasn't his fault," Minerva told her. "We gave him truth serum. He had no choice but to tell us."

Holly's eyes softened only marginally. "He's also a great wimp," she grumbled, eyes still on Artemis.

"It was Orion," he elaborated, almost in embarrassment. "Not me."

Now anger turned to concern. "What? Didn't you-?" she seemed to realize there were other people in the room, and cut herself off. "Never mind." They exchanged knowing looks, looks that sparked both interest and worry in Minerva. They were still hiding something, probably something important. But she couldn't bring herself to regret not asking Artemis more questions before. She knew that if she had, she would be feeling terrible now.

"Something wrong?" Severus asked, now emerging completely from the potions closet. He cradled several vials in his arms, all with different liquids inside them.

"No," Artemis denied, eyes flickering away from Holly for a moment to rest on the professor. "We are perfectly fine. But if you don't mind me asking," he didn't seem to care whether they minded or not, "what do you plan to do with us now?"

"Just some simple questioning," Minerva said, although judging by the looks on Holly and Artemis' faces, they didn't believe a word of it. "Then we'll have to inform the headmaster, when he returns."

At that, Artemis' eyes sharpened. "He's not here?"

"If he was, we would have gotten him, wouldn't we?" Severus snapped. If he was trying to get a reaction out of Artemis, he was disappointed. The boy hardly looked at him.

"Okay, fine," Holly interrupted, arms wrapping protectively around her helmet. "What do you want to know?" She eyed Snape's potions warily as he placed them on the nearest desk.

"We won't use Vertiserum on you," McGonagall assured her. "Just answer the questions honestly."

Holly's mouth twisted, although she agreed. "Okay."

"We know you are here for Mr. Fowl. But why? What is the point of your collaboration?"

The two exchanged glances.

"Artemis discovered he had magic," Holly began, almost at a normal pace, but just slightly too slowly for her to be telling the truth, "and he came here. He's got a condition, which I guess you know about now, so I'm just here to help him." Her eyes flashed as they met Snape's.

"You could have simply told us about this condition, and there would have been no need for sneaking out in the middle of the night," McGonagall reprimanded, stealing her attention.

Even as the excuse came out of his mouth, Artemis seemed annoyed by it, as if it were demeaning. "Forgive me, but I was a little bit self-conscious. I do have a reputation to keep."

"As an obnoxious prat," Holly muttered, barely audible. Artemis' lip twitched up in irritation, but he kept quiet.

"Almost a perfect excuse," Severus drawled. "But why would Mr. Fowl's parents not get involved? Why you, Ms. Short? Unless I'm mistaken, you aren't even human."

Now Horace decided to jump in with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "Yes, quite right. What are you?" He realized, too late, the rudeness of the question. "Er, forgive me for my bluntness, forgive me, but..."

Holly set her jaw. "Forgive _me,_" she retorted, "but I'm not telling you."

"I'm really very sorry, Ms. Short," Minerva jumped in, pouring sincerity into her every word, but managing to be firm at the same time. "But you really must tell us. We need to know you aren't somehow in league with the Dark Lord."

"And my species will help you determine that?" the pointy-eared woman huffed.

"There are certain species that have allied themselves with the Dark Lord," Minerva allowed.

Holly had to know, at this point, that besides revealing herself, there was nothing should could say that would convince them, but still she struggled for dominance. "I can assure you I'm not."

"I can vouch for her," Artemis offered with a bob of the head. "You have already questioned me, and you know that I am human."

"She could be manipulating you," Minerva said as kindly as she could. "Not that I think you are," she added to Holly, "but you know, we have to make sure, these days."

To her surprise, suspicion flitted in her student's eyes; suspicion that only strengthened when he locked eyes with Holly. The tiny woman paled.

"Artemis," she said slowly. "Come on. You were doing just fine until now." She almost sounded pained.

He seemed to have to force himself to relax. "Right...no, I'm fine." But he curled his feet around the chair legs again for support.

"Do you think we could talk for a minute?" Holly requested, looking mainly to McGonagall, but casting glances at Severus and Horace. "Artemis and I, I mean."

"I don't think that would be wise," Snape sneered, clasping his hands in front of him.

"As long as we can watch over you, yes you may," Minerva accepted, ignoring Severus. After a stiff but grateful nod, Holly bustled over to her human companion, took him by the arm, and hauled him into the potions closet. She moved to close the door, but seemed to remember their deal, and left it partially open, so that the teachers could see that they were there, but couldn't properly hear them.

The adults were left waiting outside in the classroom, listening to the mumble of the friends' voices and trying to figure them out.

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><p><strong>You guys are so awesome. :) Thanks for your reviews and support and stuff, it's very much appreciated. You guys and your reviews keep me posting, so keep 'em coming! :D<strong>

**On another note: DAVID TENNANT AND BILLIE PIPER ARE ON BOARD FOR THE DOCTOR WHO 50TH ANNIVERSARY! *squee* I'm so excited. :D This and a few other things have put me in a fantastic mood, despite having only four hours of sleep last night. Part of it might be sleep deprivation, actually. Giddy and all that. Anyway.**

**I don't think I have anything else to say here but the usual so - give me your opinions, they are very much desired. I love you all, have a good week! And Easter, if you celebrate that. I know I'm looking forward to Easter eggs and chocolate. :) (lots of chocolate)**


	14. Chapter 14: A Meeting Interrupted

**Sorry this is a week late, guys. But it wasn't ready by last Saturday, so I couldn't publish it. Chapter 15's coming along nicely, though, and should easily be finished by next week. It appears that I write more often when I actually have school. o.0**

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><p>Artemis felt a little better when he was alone with Holly, away from the demanding eyes of the adults in the classroom outside. Surrounded by shelves and shelves of potions, with only Holly there, the traces of the Complex which had begun to show themselves dissipated, and he could think properly again.<p>

"Tell me what happened," Holly ordered in Gnommish, releasing his wrist and staring him down.

"We should speak in English," he told her. "They will be able to tell if we are speaking another language, even if they cannot understand us anyway."

"Okay," she grumbled, reverting back to English and lowering her voice. "_Now_. What. _Happened._"

"I lost my pills," he confessed after a moment of strained silence. "I texted Foaly so that you could bring a new bottle with you, but evidently my text was not recieved." Despite himself, he felt his mouth twitch in irritation.

Holly's steely eyes melted. She took her helmet out from under her arm and showed it to him. "I was battling a troll," she explained. "It damaged the communications in my helmet." True enough, the helmet looked battered, and when Artemis examined the interior, the communication device was crushed. "I'm sorry," she murmured, after he'd finished.

"It's not a problem," he lied. Unease twisted his stomach. "I will be alright for now."

"You're cracking," she accused, keeping her eyes on her helmet as she replaced it underneath her arm. "It won't be long until you start counting your words."

At the mention of it, the compusion began peeking out. Artemis had to squash it down with all the will he possessed, half shuddering. "Let's not discuss that," he disuaded. The words came out harsher than he intended. Holly blinked at the bite of them.

"Arty," she said quietly, "you won't be able to hold on for much longer. I would go and get the pills for you, but I won't be allowed to leave." She glanced up, as if hoping for a trapdoor leading outside to appear over their heads. Artemis followed her gaze and attempted to steady his breathing.

"I can't very well help you escape, can I?" he snapped, looking down again.

"Artemis," she replied in the same tone. "Calm down." She followed her own advice and breathed deeply. "We can't fight right now, okay? Let's focus on what we need to do."

With an intake of breath, he began, "I am completely without magic, and without pills. To solve the magic problem, we will have to persuade the professors to let us go to the Forbidden Forest. Less difficult is the issue with the pills." Eyes sparking with the idea, he reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone. Holly's eyes lit up when she caught sight of it. She seemed to have to stifle a grin. "I'll simply text Foaly and have him send another fairy with a fresh bottle."

"There," Holly said, and the smile came through, warm and entirely welcomed. "I was wondering when you'd come up with a plan."

Artemis smiled back, and began texting. "They'll notice a sudden silence," he told her. "With the way the door is positioned, they shouldn't be able to understand what we're saying, so as long as we keep talking, they should not suspect anything."

"There we go," Holly cheered. "Back to your old smug self for the moment."

Artemis couldn't be sure if it was an insult or not, but he kept smiling anyhow. The situation was beginning to seem less dismal now that they had a plan, at least for the pills. Convincing the professors to allow him to plant his acorn would be another story entirely, but for now they were at least getting something done. And despite the slight sorrow edging Holly's smile, and the fours Artemis knew he'd soon have to fight back, the room seemed lighter.

At least, until the door banged open.

Artemis and Holly jerked back in surprise, Holly going reflexively for her absent weapon. Artemis almost dropped his phone, but managed to hold onto it, bumping into the back shelf as he did so. He registered, too late, Snape standing there. The man's eyes focused on the phone, and he wrenched it from Artemis' grip. Holly's face turned nearly white. Artemis' gut churned.

"There are Death Eaters in the school," Professor McGonagall started, just coming into view. But she froze as she took in the scene; Snape looming over Artemis and Holly, the black phone clutched in his pale hand; the two friends backed against the far wall, white as death, bottles wobbling on the shelves behind them. "What is going on?" she demanded. Slughorn peered around her, watching everything unfold with round eyes.

Snape switched his glare from Artemis and Holly to the phone, which he cautiously turned over in his hands, as if he expected it to explode. He spotted the message, and his eyes narrowed almost to slits. "Trying to send for help," he spat. "Most interesting." Now he looked at them again, malice burning in his black eyes.

Holly took Artemis by his upper arm. "Artemis needs his pills," she tried to say, before Snape had taken out his wand and zapped the phone, rendering it useless. The fairy woman stared at the broken object with undisguised horror.

The growing hope Artemis had felt shattered, and very suddenly fours had flickered into existence around Snape, hissing furiously. Without meaning too, Artemis' hand flew up and gripped Holly's lower arm. Her attention went to him, and her eyes flooded with worry.

The fours floated closer, and Artemis flinched, knocking the shelves behind him once more. The already unsteady bottles tumbled down, crashing against the floor. The glass crunched, and liquid spread over the floor. Different colored potions mixed together. Artemis could only hope that they weren't explosive when combined.

The adults outside drew their wands.

"Come here," McGonagall ordered, although she looked pained. "Slowly."

Holly glanced anxiously at Artemis, but released him and put her hands in the air, carrying her helmet in one. She slowly stepped out of the closet after Artemis had let go of her arm as well. Artemis moved to follow her, wincing as he stepped in the puddle of potions. And then, to his horror, a scent wafted up to him.

The smell of oak trees all around on the full moon, bringing memories of Holly beside him and magic consuming the both of them. A smooth acorn cupped in his hands as he lowered it into the ground, and the feel of the cool earth under his palms, and dew seeping through his suit and dampening his knees, and Holly laughing as she kept him from losing his balance and diving into the lake.

Weak blue sparks crackled briefly over his hands, and all eyes turned to them. Even Snape looked shocked. The fours hovering around him flickered as if they were as surprised as everyone else.

And now an emptiness more complete than before sucked at Artemis' chest. He thought his heart stopped as his knees buckled and his vision blackened.

The next thing he was aware of was hot breath in his ear, and Holly's voice saying, "Arty, hold on." He could still smell oak, and the potions were bleeding into his suit like the dew on the moonlit grass. Holly managed to lift him out of the puddle and carry him to a dry spot on the floor, where he sat dumbly and tried to ignore the snapping fours while she looked him over.

"Alright Mud Boy?" she asked after she'd determined that he was otherwise unharmed. The fours disappeared, and then reappeared behind her.

Artemis nodded stiffly. "Surviving," he rasped.

"Do you think you could-" she started, before yet _another_ door swung open, crashing into the wall with a deafening crack. Everyone whirled around to face the source of the noise, and Artemis even managed to haul himself to his feet to see...

Three men in cloaks, with skull masks on their faces. Artemis knew they were Death Eaters, instantly, although he'd never seen one before. The three servants of Voldemort had their wands extended toward the occupants of the potions classroom. The fours around Holly had relocated to surround the enemy like a shield.

"Surrender to the Dark Lord," one of the Death Eaters growled, "or we'll kill you all."

"You'd murder students?" McGonagall got out. Artemis saw her fingers tighten on her wand. Her knuckles whitened with the strength of her grip.

The Death Eaters didn't respond. Instead, one of them looked to Snape, and then away again. Planning something, Artemis thought. The fours flickered ominously.

No way to call for help, no one that _could_ help them at this point, people might already have been killed...Artemis' mind whirled through the possibilities as best as it could with the fours present. At least Orion hadn't showed yet.

The Death Eater that had first spoken moved his wand from Snape to Artemis. "Unless you surrender," he said, "this one is dead."

"No," Holly tried. Artemis heard the mesmer layering her voice. Everyone looked to her in confusion. "You won't harm anyone here."

One of them started to lower their wand, but then seemed to realize what was happening, and lifted it again, aiming it at Holly.

"Put it down," she coaxed. "You don't need it. There's no need." In a juttering, uncertain fashion, the masked person began to put down their weapon. Despite himself, Artemis relaxed as well, just slightly.

The middle one jerked out of the trance and shouted, "You idiots! She's doing something to us." Aiming his wand again, he shouted, "_Avada-_"

Artemis felt himself move. Everything slowed down. Suddenly, everything came into sharp focus. He could clearly see the material making up the Death Eaters' cloaks; the carefully carved wood of their wands; the shapes of their eyes behind their masks; the tiniest wrinkles around McGonagall's eyes; the gray hairs in Slughorn's mustache; the slight color in Snape's black eyes. And each hair on Holly's head, and every one of her eyelashes as her eyes widened, and the little cracks in her lips as her mouth opened in shock.

He collided with her, pushing them both to the ground with a thud, and time resumed its normal flow. There were shouts around him, but he could only focus on the sound of Holly's breath as it was forced out of her as he fell on top her. Dazed, he rolled away, shaking. Even as she gasped for air, the elf turned to him in shock.

She couldn't speak with her lack of air, but she gripped his hand tightly and stared at him in disbelief.

Several slow seconds passed before black-clad arms suddenly took Artemis by the shoulder and hauled him into a sitting position. Holly refused to release his hand, and so struggled up with him. Snape, the owner of the arms, glared at Artemis with undisguised fury.

"What's going on here?" someone asked. "Besides the Death Eaters, I mean." Artemis recognized Ginny's voice. The girl sounded slightly shaky, but when he spared her a glance, her wand arm was steady. Ron and Neville stood behind her, examining the scene with interest. She looked at him curiosly, and he noticed the way her gaze lingered on he and Holly's linked hands. Artemis looked away again.

Slughorn tried to explain, but not much came out besides frustrated, confused phrases. "Mr. Fowl here...he was on school grounds tonight, you see, alone..."

Snape ignored the conversation. His eyes hovered constantly on Artemis, who wanted to meet them defiantly, with dignity, but couldn't manage it. The boy's gaze remained on the professor's shoulder. Fours began flickering nearby again.

Snape didn't move, though, or order Artemis to look him in the eyes and explain himself. He was quiet, his grip firm on Artemis' shoulder, verging on painful. The sheer lack of reaction unnerved Artemis enough to help him muster up the strength to look up.

He didn't know what he expected - questions, of course. Answers demanded, Holly being torn away from him. Maybe even being locked up until he talked. The thing he wasn't planning for, though, was for Snape's black eyes to bore into Artemis', and the professor's mouth to bite out, "_Legilimens!"_

Abruptly, memories were flickering through Artemis' head, as if he was changing channels on a television at a rapid speed - Butler speaking to him at King's Cross Station before he came back to school; the twins tackling him to the floor and pushing the breath out of him; Juliet punching him in the shoulder in a way meant to be playful, but instead hurt; his parents sitting together on the sofa, opening their Christmas presents; balancing on a wire trying to retrieve Jay-Jay, trapped in the past; Holly punching him; sitting in Dr. Argon's clinic waiting for his medication to be delivered; getting the call from Foaly in the middle of the night at the beginning of this whole mess. The memories came in short clips, some playing a few seconds longer than others as Snape paused on them. Artemis tried to close the professor off, focusing on the outside world, feeling the man's hands on his shoulders and trying to push them away. Distantly, Holly was saying, "Let him go! Frond's sake-" and then her voice was muffled. Scuffles came to Artemis as if from down a long tunnel.

Suddenly, a particular memory came into focus - one from the last full moon. Snape let it play out. Artemis was helpless to stop it.

"Anything new, Mud Boy?" Holly from the memory was asking, kicking at the grass as they wandered toward the Forbidden Forest.

"Nothing interesting, if that's what you mean," Artemis replied. "No new developments, or particularly arresting gossip. And keep your voice down," he added.

"Made any friends yet?" Holly sighed, lowering her volume. Clearly, she didn't expect him to reply positively.

"One of the plants in Professor McGonagall's classroom and I are getting along nicely," Artemis said in an attempt at a joke.

Holly stopped walking, turning to him, her nose wrinkling in confusion and amazement. "Was that a _joke_?"

Artemis could feel heat rising in his face. Quickly, he tried to quash it, but he couldn't fight it down. He avoided Holly's eyes and watched the ground. He kept walking.

"_Artemis Fowl_ told a _joke_," Holly cried, now broken out of her whisper.

"Holly," Artemis snapped, whirling around to face her and trying to hide his blush. He was careful to keep his voice hushed. "First of all, it is not like it hasn't happened before. Second, I thought we agreed to _be quiet._"

The elf let out one loud laugh, and then quickly stifled her amusment. She changed to just giving him a wide, almost evil grin.

He tried in vain to ignore her, turning around again and resuming his walk to the Forest. His footsteps were almost stomps at this point.

"Stop pouting, Arty," Holly said, suddenly beside him, her hand on his shoulder. He almost flinched away. "Look, I'm sorry." But she kept grinning.

Artemis recognized he was being childish, but it was late, his magic was depleted, and the itching was relentless. "We should be shielded," he grumbled. Holly, hovering in front of him now, became nothing but a haze. Artemis followed her lead.

"Better?" she asked. The shimmery shape that was her floated ahead, nearer the trees. Artemis trailed her at a walk without replying.

Abruptly, too soon, just in time, the memory shattered, and Artemis found himself being yanked away from a dazed-looking Snape, onto his feet. He recognized the feel of Holly's small hands at his elbows.

"Stop," the elf commanded. Now every person in the classroom had wands pointed at them except Snape, who was still on the ground. Now Ginny, Ron, and Neville were closer, evidently the ones that had been holding Holly back. They looked almost embarrassed, despite the uncertainty and fear in their expressions as well. Holly didn't remove her hands from Artemis' arms. Artemis wondered why at first, but then realized that he was practically falling over, and she was keeping him upright. "This isn't right."

Snape too got to his feet, expression melting into something akin to hatred. "I would not have had to resort to that if you had simply told us what we wanted to know."

Holly's grip tightened on Artemis. "Do it again," she snarled. "I dare you." Despite her size, she was strong. Her clutch was painful.

"Holly," he rasped. Slowly, she loosened her hands.

"A bit protective, are we?" Snape jeered. "Don't worry, I didn't hurt him."

"And he _won't,_" McGonagall jumped in, sharply, eyeing her coworker angrily. Then her eyes returned to Holly and Artemis, and softened. Artemis figured they probably looked a mess. "But you are keeping secrets from us, and it's worrying, Mr. Fowl. We are only trying to protect ourselves."

Artemis thought he saw the blue fours sparking behind her eyes, and shuddered, leaning into Holly.

"Artemis?" she prompted, quietly. Her voice was slightly strained. With the realization that he was hurting her, the boy genius tried to straighten up.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm fine." He was, he assured himself. At least for now. The Complex hadn't progressed too terribly much at this point. Although Orion was starting to stir; or at least there was a concerning rumbling at the back of Artemis' head. He forced his attention away from that, for the moment, though, and focused on McGonagall, and the definite _lack_ of fours nearby her. He was sure they weren't in her eyes, at least not now, because they had instead chosen to float around an oblivious, nervous-looking Slughorn. "I understand your concern," he enunciated. He tried to pull out of Holly's grip, but found himself lacking the strength. "I hope you understand ours." He wanted to look back at his elf friend, but the way she was holding him, it was impossible. He steeled himself for her anger, and said, "However, despite my deepest desires, I think it would be wise, considering our situation..."

"Artemis," Holly hissed, panicking now, nails digging into his arms.

"...to give you a bit of information."

The elf tensed like she would push him to the ground, but thankfully, she didn't, and settled for a growl of, "You can't do this, Artemis, you _can't._"

"I need magic, Holly," he snapped back in a whisper, twisting away from her enough to face her. Desperation gave him a momentary rush of strength. "They will find out anyway, eventually. We cannot prevent that."

"Maybe not," she snarled at the same volume, "but you're making sure it happens _sooner_. Maybe we could have fixed things in the end, Artemis. You can't make this decision, you don't represent the People here."

"I do, actually, after a fashion. I may not technically or completely be one of you, Holly, but for now I am essentially the only representative of the People in this situation."

Her eyes flared. "_I'm _here, you idiot."

"You are not thinking logically."

Now she did push him away, with hands shaking with fury. He stumbled back, leaning on a desk, and she clenched her hands into fists until the knuckles turned white. Her whole body seemed to be trembling with the strength of her anger and fear. "And you _are_? _You. Are. Certifiably. Insane_."

The words hit him like a physical blow, the fours hissing relentlessly as he sucked in a dazed breath. Immediately after she'd spoken, Holly turned bone white, and gaped in surprise at herself.

"Oh, Frond," she stammered. "I - I didn't mean..."

Artemis steadied himself, focusing his devestation and hurt inward. His heart juttered spastically in his chest. Each beat pained him. "Exactly as I said," he said quietly, as evenly as he could. "You aren't thinking logically, Captain."

Guit filled the elf's eyes. "Artemis," she tried to say, but he turned away, keeping a steadying palm on the desk beside him.

"If you don't mind," he said briskly to McGonagall, who stared openly at him, "I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible." He felt the eyes of his three fellow students on his back, and Holly's too, but he ignored them. "I will need to be taken to the Forbidden Forest. Just the edge, I assure you. We will not need to venture inside."

McGonagall swallowed, eyes flickering between he and Holly. "Very well," she agreed after clearing her throat. "Severus, Horace - will you accompany us?"

"I think I'll stay back here," Slughorn put in. McGonagall looked at him, unimpressed. Obviously searching for an excuse, his eyes finally settled on the colorful mix of spilled potions on the floor. "I have quite a mess to clean up, Minerva, as you see." He gestured to the puddle, offering an earnest smile.

"I suppose," she sighed. "Fine, then, stay behind. It won't do to let it all ruin the floor." She looked vaugely disgusted as she focused on Ron, Ginny, and Neville. "You three."

"We're supposed to be watching out for Death Eaters," Ginny interrupted. And then blushed. "Sorry to cut you off, professor, but, er, we are. If we don't, they might take over the school."

"It isn't your job," McGonagall tried to say, but Ron shook his head gravely. She closed her mouth resignedly. "I can't say I like it," she said.

"We have Felix Felicis," Ginny put in, "if we need it." Slughorn looked interested, but didn't break into the conversation.

McGonagall sighed. "All right. But I would like to arrange a meeting place, where we can find you when we're finished." She shot a look at Artemis.

"Er..." the Weasleys and Neville exchanged glances. "We'll be around the Room of Requirement," Ginny decided. "Does that work?"

"That would be fine," the transfiguration professor agreed. "Very well. Off with you. Be careful!" This last was said even as the three piled out the door, wands still out and ready. The professor then turned on Artemis. "Now, Mr. Fowl. Lead the way, will you?"

"Artemis," Holly murmured, but the boy genius ignored her as he swept out the door.

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><p><strong>Not so sure if this one's any good. Re-reading I thought it sucked, but that's probably just me. We writers tend to flip-flop between thinking we're the greatest writers ever to thinking we're the worst. I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean, as plenty of you are probably writers yourselves.<strong>

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you thought, and give me some tips for improving or anything. I crave constructive criticism, although I'll gladly accept any review. :)**

**Hope you're all having good weekends, and good luck at school/work/life/whatever else awaits you. Thanks for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15: Magic Renewed

**Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry (continued in the end AN)**

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><p>Artemis paid no mind to mud or wetness as he led the way across school grounds to the Forbidden Forest. His shoes were already ruined, after all, he thought. There was no way to save them, so why bother picking his way through the dew-covered grass?<p>

No one spoke throughout their trek. Holly had come along reluctantly, trailing behind the wizards and witches by a few feet, although Snape constantly had a sharp eye on her. Artemis hoped she'd stay back and out of the way. He didn't want to deal with her, or what she'd said, right now.

He knew she was right - he was clinically insane, and right now, without his pills, he couldn't exactly be called stable - but that didn't numb the sting. There was nothing to be done for his situation with medication, true, and they both knew he couldn't very well control it. Artemis didn't know why his friend had felt the need to point out his problem to everyone else. No one had brought it up yet, but Artemis knew that everyone had questions burning inside. He wasn't sure how he would react when they were finally spoken.

They were right at the edge of the forest now. Artemis stopped the little procession at the treeline and dug out the tiny acorn he'd stored in his pocket. Suddenly, Holly breathed beside him, "The Complex will get worse when you get your magic back."

He tried not to start, but when he caught the apologetic look on her face he knew he'd failed. "I know," he said. He gazed down at the nut in his palm. The moon had become obscured by clouds now, so that it was so dark he could hardly see anything. His hand looked like a light blob. "I am willing to deal with it," he added. "If there are Death Eaters in the school, I should take part in fighting them off." As much as the idea sickened him.

He snuck a glance at her to find her looking only slightly disappointed. "You're brave at all the wrong times," she muttered.

"For a coward."

Holly suddenly looked immensely sorry. "Look-"

"Do you plan on standing there whispering all day, Mr. Fowl," Snape jeered, "or are you actually going to give us our answers?"

Artemis closed the acorn in his fist, feeling it dig into his skin. "Give me a moment," he said. "Please."

"Artemis," Holly whispered. "I'm sorry, but you _can't._" Her eyes gleamed even in the dark, embers of blue and hazel. "You'll show them this, and they'll want answers, and eventually we'll have to give it all away, and the People will be compromised."

"The wizards aren't exactly humans, Holly," the boy genius replied in the same tone. "They surely wouldn't tell the outside world."

"We can't deal with relations with the wizarding world on top of everything else, Artemis," the fairy hissed. She grabbed his wrist and stared into his eyes. "There has to be another way. They can deal without your help."

"I am very sure they could." He looked away. "But they would look through my memories, Holly," he rationalized. "We cannot hide it any longer. And I do not want to be helpless if we are found by Death Eaters again."

"Mr. Fowl," Snape prompted icily.

Holly released her friend's wrist and stepped back. The darkness made it impossible to really see her face, but Artemis could clearly imagine that hurt expression that she too often wore when he spoke to her. Artemis bent down with his acorn, gripping it tighter and letting the jab of pain pull his attention away from that dark train of thought. "Very well," he said. "Prepare yourselves." Then he dug a hole in the ground as best he could, and let the acorn fall into it. He scooped the earth over the planted seed, and felt the magic swell around him. His sight turned to blue.

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><p>At first, nothing appeared to be happening. McGonagall watched Artemis scrape the dirt he'd dug up over the little hole he'd made, and waited for something to happen. For a few seconds, nothing did. And then blue sparks, like the ones that had flickered on his hands for that brief moment back in Horace's classroom, jumped over his kneeling form, spreading over him like a blanket. They were there for only seconds, but had enough light to illuminate everyone surrounding Artemis in blue. For the moments they were crawling over him, Minerva saw her student's pale hands clench in the grass, and his back arch ever so slightly.<p>

And then the blue light was gone, and when Minerva's eyes had adjusted to the dark again, she found Artemis on his feet. For a moment when he turned to his professors, his eyes were glowing blue, but the gleam died down soon enough.

He looked somehow different now - his posture had become minutely more relaxed, but at the same time he'd straightened up, on high alert. "Much better," he announced. His eyes then snapped to Minerva and Severus. "I'm sure you have many questions," he said. "I will answer them willingly when we are safely inside." He folded his hands in front of him.

Minerva very much wanted to ask him to explain what had happened despite his request, but complied. "Very well," she agreed, glancing at Severus briefly to gauge his reaction to it all. His expression, at least what she could see of it in the darkness, was closed. He didn't look to her at all. "Let us meet up with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom, and then you will explain yourselves." Beside Artemis, Holly gave an almost inaudible sigh. His eyes flickered over to her, and he tensed slightly, but his voice was even as he replied, "Of course."

McGonagall paused, taking a moment to look her student over. Whatever had happened, it had changed more than just his posture. The blue sparks had brightened his eyes, just slightly. They had lifted his chin, so that he almost seemed to be looking down on everyone else. There were other changes, too, that Minerva could see, when she looked at the big picture, but when she tried to focus in on them, the details eluded her.

She pushed her curiosity away for the moment, deciding she could better examine him in the light, and after he'd explained himself, and turned to lead the way back inside.

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><p>As they had promised, the Weasleys and Neville were waiting nearby the Room of Requirement; Ginny pacing around, Ron sitting on the cold floor and turning his wand over and over in his palms, and Neville standing tensely in the same spot, his eyes following Ginny as she moved.<p>

The three of them all looked up when the teachers, Artemis, and Holly arrived, with a mix of relief and uncertainty. Their footsteps echoed through the otherwise empty corridors.

"No signs of Death Eaters?" McGonagall inquired as they approached.

"No," Ginny said with a shake of the head.

"We thought we might have heard something," Ron put in, quickly, "but we weren't sure. I wanted to look." Here he looked at Neville in vague annoyance. The other boy chewed on his lip.

"We were supposed to stay here," he said, rather meekly, in Artemis' opinion. But Neville must have been sufficiently bold enough to force the Weasleys to stay with him.

"Indeed," McGonagall agreed. She then turned to Artemis and Holly. "Now, Mr. Fowl - I think you owe us an explanation."

Artemis felt Holly's gaze flicker toward him again, as it had kept doing for the duration of their walk back to the castle. He wondered what outward changes the magic must have worked on him. Professor McGonagall had been giving him odd looks as well, although that could have been because of the sparks. He obviously felt differently, though, internally. The sudden influx of magic into his system had startled the Complex away for the moment, although he could sense it stirring somewhere in the back of his head. He felt considerably less empty as well, which was a pleasant difference. He could only vaguely remember how it had felt to be fully human - he had never once felt empty as he had earlier, back then, though, he was sure. He supposed he hadn't known what he was missing. Humans weren't supposed to possess magic, true, but it flowed so perfectly through him he couldn't imagine how they'd gone so long without - how _he'd_ gone so long without.

"Not here," he requested, looking around them in search of a room. "Let's move to a more comfortable place, shall we?"

"Now's not the time for that, Mr. Fowl," Snape drawled. His black eyes met Artemis' hazel and blue ones. "You can explain here and now."

"This is sensitive information," Holly protested, clenching tiny fists. Artemis could tell she was sorely missing her Neutrino. "If this goes wrong, if anyone else...we could be starting _war._"

"Possibly," Artemis jumped in. All around, the wizards were bristling. "But possibly not. Although I would prefer to find somewhere else to talk, if we must talk here we're able to."

"Thank you for your cooperation," McGonagall said. And now she gave him the look again, although she tried to hide it. A very small pursing of the lips, a slight eye-squint, hardly noticable. No one else paid in any mind, at least.

Holly pulled him away, literally, taking his much larger hand in her own and practically dragging him to the wall. "Arty," she began in her most scolding low tone, "if you mess this up, things could go very, very wrong. If the People are seen as a threat, the wizards might decide to attack, or if the People see the wizards as-"

She was still holding his hand, Artemis noted belatedly as he stared down at her. He cut off her rant by putting his free hand over the hands they had linked. He became conscious of how cool his hands were compared to hers. "I am a genius, remember," he said, not quite gently, but not harshly either.

Her scowl lasted a brief second, until she snatched her hand from between his and she looked to the wizards watching them. "Okay," she sighed. "I know there's no more avoiding this, so let's just get it over with."

Relieved, although he didn't dare show it, Artemis nodded. "Indeed. Now." He met Holly's eyes again. They were filled with fear and regret, but she nodded her consent anyway.

"I know there's no more avoiding it," she repeated, quietly. Slowly, Artemis nodded back at her.

"Where do we begin?"

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><p><strong>...sorry sorry sorry sorry. Sorry. I know I <em>promised<em> I wouldn't leave this for so long again. *bashes head against door* I blame lack of inspiration and school. And also the fact that I'm not very good at keeping promises to the internet (at least when it comes to writing). This chapter is so short because I forgot to bring my HP6 book to my dad's (sigh, again), and the fact that I didn't want to keep you guys all waiting even another day. It's probably a rotten chapter. Sorry again.**

**In any case - some announcements, some that won't come into play until much later, but that I thought you all should be aware of.**

**1. If you find a lot of plot holes and such in this story, or find the writing in some or all of it to be complete crap, never fear! I will be giving Infiltration (and all my other stories) a deep cleaning, hopefully over the next year, once I finish this story up. The stories won't be completely rewritten (I do actually think some parts of them are decent) but things that I feel desperately need fixing will be patched up until I can be reasonably proud of them.**

**2. I've got a tumblr, that I've had for a while, but that I haven't posted on here before, for some reason. My URL is fangirlyjoy. Now you guys can come and pester me to update there. I need the encouragement.**

**3. School will be over in a few weeks. So that's good.**

**4. The next chapter of this isn't written yet. I might need some time to get it all down, hopefully only a week or two. If you guys leave me some encouraging reviews or PMs, it will speed things up. I love all of your feedback.**

**That's all...nothing really groundbreaking. Once I can finish school for the year, I'll have much more time for writing, and chapters will be up in a more timely manner. That's all! I appreciate all of your guys' support, and the fact that you like this story enough to get frustrated with me not updating it.**

**See you all (hopefully) next Saturday, with a (hopefully) longer chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16: Revelations

**Hello. I'm on time this week! *party***

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><p>"We can't hang around too long," McGonagall put in, before any questions could be voiced. "We must still be on the lookout for Death Eaters."<p>

"I agree," Artemis said. "We'll only give some brief explanations for now, then, and we can move to a different location when we are finished, in order to ensure our safety and that of the castle."

"Fair enough," Ginny agreed. She then crossed her arms and stared the two of them down. Ron and Neville didn't bother with politeness either. "So - who are you, exactly?" This was directed at Holly.

The elf straightened, clasping her hands behind her back like a soldier. She was one, of a sort, Artemis remembered. He tended to forget that; Holly had never been one for a formal attitude, even around her superiors. "Captain Holly Short," she recited, like she so obviously had a thousand times before, "of the LEP."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron blurted. Artemis had wondered when he would speak up; so far he'd been silent. It had only been a matter of time.

"Call her a police officer, if you will," Artemis expanded. "The Captain is an old friend of mine."

"I thought she was sent here to keep an eye on you," Snape jumped in doubtfully.

"She was," Artemis verified, evenly. He didn't bother hiding the smugness he felt, allowing a small smile to grow on his face. "You asked us why she had been chosen to help me deal with my condition, and not someone else - Holly has been my friend for a fair amount of time now, and I trust her. And as you may have noticed, she has a way of arriving quickly, for the most part."

The Captain's eyes flicked to him and then away at this, but she fought against wilting or looking at all embarrassed. She even straightened slightly. Artemis found himself grateful that he was taller than her, to gain some further amount of control over the situation.

"What's your 'condition'?" Ginny asked. The way she eyed Artemis set his teeth on edge, and for half a second, he saw the fours in her eyes. Even the mention of the Complex had it rearing its head.

With practiced, calm certainty, Artemis replied, "A fair number of things, actually. Multiple Personality Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, paranoia, and delusions. All these disorders combined result in a condition called the Atlantis Complex." Preparing for the onslaught of questions that would surely come, he folded his hands behind him as Holly had done and lifted his chin defiantly.

"Sorry," Neville piped up uncertainly, fingers twitching with anxiety, "but you said _delusions_?"

Artemis tried his very hardest not to display the hot burn of anger flaring in his chest, settling for clenching his hands around each other behind him and pressing his lips together. Holly hardly glanced at him before responding tightly, "Yes, he did. They usually aren't anything too bad. They don't happen at all when he's on his meds, _but_..." she trailed off and fixed her friend with a half-annoyed, half-apologetic gaze.

"They've gone missing," he finished for her, after responding to her look with one of his own. "Fortunately, the Complex hasn't shown yet, at least not too noticably. For a while yet, everything should go smoothly." _Knock on wood,_ he thought with a mental sigh.

"Have you had this all your life?" McGonagall asked. Sympathy and curiosity played in her eyes. Artemis didn't want to push away her worry for him (he hadn't gotten much of it in his time at Hogwarts), but neither did he want to accept it. It felt too much like weakness for comfort.

"Only recently." He paused, glancing at his audience. "I had it for a time, then cured it. When I discovered my magic, it reappeared."

Something snapped back into focus in Professor McGonagall's eyes, and she nodded sharply. "Yes. Speaking of which, Mr. Fowl. Your little show by the Forest."

Out of the corner of his eye, Artemis saw Holly's jaw clench. She shifted restlessly on her feet.

"Yes," Snape added in something like a purr. "Care to explain?"

"What happened?" Ginny demanded.

"I renewed my magic," Artemis replied to both questions at once. Ginny tilted her head quizzically at him; Ron frowned; Neville's nervous twitching was settled by curiosity; the Professors remained nearly emotionless. "Perhaps I was not exactly telling the truth when I said I _discovered_ my magic. Rather, I forced it into my system, with the assistance of another friend of mine - magical, of course." He took a moment to search for the right words. If he was to say the wrong thing he could start a war, as Holly had said - something neither the wizards nor the fairies needed at the moment. He gauged his audience's reaction to his statement while he thought. They all, with the exception of Snape, had looks of surprise and worry on their faces. Slowly, he began to speak again. "The idea was that I wanted to attend Hogwarts. And having no magic of my own - except for a brief time a while ago, which in fact resulted in my contraction of the Complex - I was forced to have some flushed into me, in the hopes that my system would accept it. It had the first time, even though that had been a relatively small dosage, so I was optimistic. This is the result." He took a breath, and vibrated out of the visible spectrum.

No one spoke a word, staring at the place he'd been intently. Ron's mouth was slightly open. The others remained relatively composed, besides their shock. Artemis reappeared suddenly, startling everyone but Holly. The elf's eyes hovered over him darkly, without much emotion.

"You can turn invisible without a wand?" Ron exclaimed. Despite his normally suspicious attitude toward Artemis, awe rose in his eyes. "Wicked."

"It is the particular brand of magic I possess," Artemis explained. "Slightly different than yours."

"That's all very impressive, Mr. Fowl," McGonagall jumped in. Wary frostiness coated her voice. "However, I have a rather more pressing question. You are - were - a Muggle, yes? How did you know of Hogwarts?"

This was the trick. His fellow students seemed to catch it too, as their eyes narrowed - even Neville's. Artemis carefully weighed his words. He felt Holly's gaze heavy on him. "I hope you understand," he started, "that this is a very delicate situation we have found ourselves in."

"We cannot possibly," Snape intoned dryly, "since you have not told us."

Artemis drew a breath. "A friend told me about this school. He thought I should look into attending."

"Without magic," Snape sneered.

"As I said before, I was given magic via another friend of mine." Artemis swore he could hear the thin ice he was walking on creak beneath him. The eyes on him were as icy as the metaphorical water he would soon plunge into. "The first friend was unable to attend himself, not being of the right age, nor possessing magic, or the ability to gain any. He asked me to go in his stead."

"It seems a bit excessive, to drown a child in magic and send him off to a wizard school in the hopes of simply _living a dream_," Snape drawled. He leaned in, flecks of silver fours in the depths of his black eyes as they met Artemis'. The boy genius tightened his fists. "Don't you think, Mr. Fowl?"

"Back off," Holly snarled, stepping closer to Artemis. "He's _trying_ to explain. Maybe not very well, but he's trying."

"I thought I was doing a perfectly fine job."

The elf glared at him. "You're walking on eggshells, Arty. Pull it together."

"Arty?" Ron repeated, bewildered.

"Continue, Mr. Fowl," McGonagall interrupted. "Quickly, we should be moving along soon."

"Yes, of course." Another breath, in an attempt to quell the anxiety boiling in his stomach. "I'll try to make this as simple as possible. This friend of mine discovered Hogwarts a while ago, became intrigued, and wanted to investigate. I was the prime cantidate for attending. And you essentially know the rest." His gaze flitted swiftly between each audience member.

"And here we are," Holly muttered. She watched them all with thinly veiled fear.

"You're saying you were sent here to-to spy on us, then?" Ginny demanded. Her face began to darken.

"Learn more about the wizard culture," Artemis corrected, but he couldn't help but step back. The Complex shifted like an animal in the back of his mind. Fours appeared like ghosts around the Weasley girl.

"We should go," Holly butted in. She set a hand firmly on Artemis' lower arm (the easiest part of his arm for her to reach), a wordless reassurance. "We don't have time for this, if we're looking out for whatever they are. Death Eaters."

McGonagall's face had hardened over the course of the conversation. Her eyes pierced Artemis with an uncomfortable strength. "I think we have some time," she argued. "You were saying, Mr. Fowl?"

Holly's hand lingered on his arm, flexed as she smothered a wince. "There's a lot to explain," she started in Artemis' place, slowly and uncertainly.

"Saying that I have been here to spy on you might be a little harsh," the boy genius offered as evenly as he could. The ghostly fours disappeared from his vision. "However, I don't think it would be an entirely innacurate statement. You see, we did leave out a piece of information. We rather thought it could be saved for a better time." Artemis indicated their current situation with a dip of the head. "I suppose, though, there isn't much of a choice any longer." He steadied his nerves, repeating to himself, _they won't be able to do anything about it now, the stakes are too high_. "The brand of magic I was given is the same kind that Holly has. That is, fairy magic."

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><p><strong>Kind of a short one, again...sorry. But it felt right to leave it as this point.<strong>

**As usual, I very much appreciate your reviews (they're all so lovely, and really helped me with this chapter), and follows, and favorites, and all that. Your support helps so much.**

**If you're on tumblr and would like to follow me, my URL's now been changed to pwopersonic. I quite like it. I liked fangirlyjoy too, but the change is nice. Also - fandom references! ^^ Beware of swears, though, if you mind those.**

**See you all next week. I WILL have the chapter ready, I WILL.**


	17. Chapter 17: Further Explanations

"_Hold on_," Ron Weasley blurted, eyes bulging. "_Fairy_ magic?"

Artemis' gut churned, and fours threatened, yet he managed a smile. He only had to keep things under control for a little while longer. "That's what I said yes. You see, Holly is an elf, one of the many species classified as fairies. This also includes centaurs, dwarves, pixies, and other such creatures."

"That certainly explains the ears," Snape jeered, staring at Holly, who removed her hand from Artemis in order to cross her arms, and scowled at the professor.

"They don't all have magic," Artemis continued, ignoring the jibe at his friend, "but most do. Holly does, for example." He looked to the captain, who obliged him with a sigh, shielding and unshielding quickly. "You see?"

"I'm beginning to," McGonagall said, briskly. Her eyes were lit with suspiscion and curiosity in equal measures. "This friend of yours, also a fairy?"

"He's a centaur, yes," Artemis agreed. They had entered waters even choppier than before. How he handled the next few minutes would determine whether the inevitable first meeting between the wizards and fairies would be peaceful or violent. Needless to say, he was worried. Not that he doubted his ability to navigate the rough terrain of conversations such as these successfully, but so many things had the chance to go wrong.

"So you were spent to spy on us, sorry, 'observe the culture,'" Ginny snarked, complete with finger quotes, "by _fairies_?"

"Yes," Holly jumped in, "but believe me, we don't mean any harm." She put her hand back on Artemis' arm. "We wanted to make sure you weren't a threat, actually - we were planning to leave you alone after Artemis was done here. I was against the whole idea in the first place, but everyone else _insisted_." Here she glared at the Mud Boy beside her, who met her eyes as unwaveringly as he could manage. She had to have seen the hesitation on his face, but she did not react. Holly's stubbornness was one variable he could count on, in any case.

"You ought to have left us alone in the first place," Snape drawled coldly.

"Perhaps we should have," Artemis said, summoning the strength to be bolder from the feeling of Holly's hand reassuringly resting on his arm. Another thing he could be sure of - at least for the moment, he had a friend alongside him. That was more than he'd had a few hours ago. "But we did not, and now we're here. The question is: how will you react to the presence of another society, one you were not aware of, in this world?"

The wizards' eyes bored into the two friends, with deep thought, shock, suspiscion, and wonder mingling in their expressions, with the exception of Snape, who remained blank and stony.

"They didn't mean us any harm," Neville piped up, haultingly. "I mean, they say they didn't," he corrected when all eyes were suddenly turned to him. "And-and I believe them. I think, if they meant to hurt us, they would have done that already."

"And you already questioned Artemis, and you know he's not working with the Death Eaters, and you've never even heard of the elves, and obviously because we didn't know about you until recently, either, we couldn't have teamed up with _anyone_," Holly pressed, desperate. Her grip tightened on Artemis. "What do I need to swear on for you to believe me?"

Jarring silence. In his ears, Artemis heard the faint hissing of fours. He steeled himself against them and focused deliberately on the situation at hand.

"Swear on each other that you have not, and will not ever, align with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," McGonagall declared, quietly. She was as hesitant to break the silence as anyone else. When she recieved searching looks for her response, she explained, "Well, you two certainly seem to care about each other. I could take you at your word, especially after all the questioning we've done, if you were to do that."

"Okay," Holly agreed. "I swear on Artemis' life, and mine, that we're not lying to you, and we're not on the side of...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"I do the same," Artemis said. "Now, shall we be moving on? We've been standing in the same place for much longer than appropriate." Holly's hand dropped away from him, taking some comfort with it.

McGonagall shook her head as if to clear it and quickly agreed, "Yes, of course. Severus-" she cut herself off, and turned completely around.

Holly did the same, purely incredulous, with a curled upper lip. "Where - he ran off!"

"We can see that," Artemis shot back, dryly. "Any other astounding observations, Captain?"

She faced him, scowled, and smacked him on the arm. "Shut up."

"Where could he have gone?" Ginny asked, bewildered. She too spun around, as if expecting Snape to appear behind her.

"Sneaky bugger," Ron muttered, glancing around.

"Mr. Weasley," McGonagall warned, although she didn't argue with him.

"You don't think the Death Eaters took him or something, while we weren't looking?" Neville squeaked, hands clasped nervously in front of him.

"I wouldn't have said that they _took_ him, as such," Ron said under his breath.

His words shouldn't have been worrying; Artemis should have been able to brush them off as silly prejudices of some kind. But as it was, his stomach clenched unexpectedly, and he found himself with a hand on Holly's shoulder, breath slightly raspy. His heart beat loudly in his ears. Ron's voice had some kind of experience in it, some kind of knowing. He had concluded, some time long ago, that Snape was somehow in league with Voldemort. It could be put down to ridiculous suspiscion, but something unpleasantly tickled Artemis' brain and he couldn't push it away.

"What's wrong?" Holly whispered. Thankfully, the wizards hadn't seemed to notice his reaction. They were too preoccupied with Snape's disappearance at the moment. The elf's eyes stared up at Artemis, friendly and concerned. "Fours?" she guessed, even softer.

Quickly, Artemis stole his hand back. "They were _not_ a problem," he snapped, "until you mentioned it." He tried his best to keep his arms stiff at his sides, and his eyes off the glowing, spitting numbers that had phased into visibility in the shadows.

Holly's eyes narrowed, but she kept her voice civil, if slightly louder. "Sorry," she said, hotly. "I was trying to help." She visibly forced herself to soften up. The worry in her eyes was real, though. "What's bothering you?"

"I don't know," he muttered. "My brain is being ridiculous. I think the paranoia may be setting in." Snape was a slippery, unpredictable man. He had most likely gotten bored, had something better to do, and decided they were all unworthy of a farewell.

_It all rests on what that something better is_, a rebellious part of his brain whispered.

"I'm fine," he insisted, before Holly could ask. He didn't meet her eyes, though, and his heart continued to race. She wouldn't be able to help him anyway, unless she somehow had his pills hidden on her person.

He froze, regretting the thought instantly. But he couldn't take it back, and couldn't repress the way everything seemed to click into place in his head, or hold back the coldness that scared away any semblance of warmth in his chest.

"Arty," she said, cautiously. He could feel a slight warmth lingering by his wrist, suggesting the shape of a small hand. "It's okay."

It almost felt like his heart spasmed as he twisted to face her, and caught her hand in his own. She blinked in astonishment at him and tore herself away. It felt like betrayal to her, and to the feeling of companionship they often shared. "You-" he stopped, swallowed hard. "You didn't take my pills, did you?"

It would explain why they were missing without a trace, why she'd been late, worried about facing him. He couldn't imagine _why_ she would take them - he could clearly see how badly she hated watching him like this - but everything else made so much sense, he couldn't ignore it-

"_Artemis Fowl_," she stressed, breathing raggedly in. "I know it's the Complex, but you can't seriously think that I would _ever_..."

The paranoia fell away for a moment, rendering everything dizzingly clear again. Holly's expression was both offended and desperately worried. Her eyes were slightly too shiny. All around, silence pressed.

"So sorry to have caused a scene," Artemis managed, pulling away from Holly and drawing with him what was left of his pride. "It was an argument, nothing to be concerned about." He could feel eyes on him, wary, nervous, and he couldn't bring himself to meet them.

Someone breathed in, like they were about to speak - then stopped.

"Let's move on, shall we?" Artemis asked, briskly, as he turned away from them all and started walking.

Slowly, the sound of footsteps rose up behind him.

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><p><strong>Sorry this is so late (ugh, again), and not very good. These last couple of weeks at school have been hectic. Also, for some reason I wasn't able to add new chapters for a couple of days. But on the bright side, I've only got half a day of school left, and everything's working again. So yay for that.<strong>

**In other news, if you want to see me dancing like a moron, I'll be taking part in the Panic Station Muser Lip-Sync Cheesefest. Hopefully. If everything works out with the video and stuff. If I end up in it, I'll tell you guys what time(s) I appear. Should be fun. :)**

**In regards to chapters left, there should be around five, unless something unexpected happens.**

**I'd like to thank you all for bearing with me this whole time, and for all your support. I wouldn't be here without it. :)**

**As usual, if you have the time, please drop me a review telling me what you thought. I love them all!**

**See you all soon!**


	18. Chapter 18: Battleground

They hadn't gone very far before Holly, who had started leading the way after a while, froze, nearly sending everyone crashing into her. "Shh," she ordered, before Ron could say something more than his astonished, "Watch it!"

They all strained to hear what she had heard, but then came the shout. Artemis' bones chilled at the words, ones he'd never before heard uttered.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

McGonagall took charge, pushing past Holly and her students, and located the source of the spell - the room behind a set of tightly closed double doors. She pounded on them, and then yelled out another spell. Artemis didn't quite manage to catch it, with Holly suddenly beside him, pulling on his arm.

"Artemis, what's going on?" she asked, gravely. Her mismatched eyes shone with both fear and determination in equal measures. He had no question, however, that the determination would rule out the fear entirely, in time. Holly had never been one for cowardice.

"It's very likely someone has died," he said. If it was at all possible, Holly's expression became graver still. Her mouth set, her eyes narrowed. The fours flickered where they hovered behind her, as if intimidated by her show of anger. Her grip tightened on Artemis' arm for a brief second, then she released him.

"How can you be so calm about it?" Ron asked, looking mildly horrified.

Artemis turned swiftly to him, meeting his eyes coldly. The fours floated to circle Ron, as to stay in Artemis' sight. "I've seen death before, Mr. Weasley," the boy genius said, dryly. "It's unfortunate, and I can't say I've gotten used to it, but we do not know if anyone has actually been killed yet, or if they are someone close enough to us to matter very much. Furthermore-"

At that moment, the doors burst open, there were shouts from the other side, and suddenly they were all running inside, into a wide corridor with a slightly collapsed roof, with dust everywhere in sight. The fours sparked and raced alongside Artemis as he ran in. He realized, as soon as he was inside and able to take in the scene, he was still without his wand. The wizards around him started casting spells, Death Eaters and teachers and students alike, and he and Holly were caught, weaponless, in the middle of it. Holly seemed to come to the same conclusion, and snatched up his hand, as if that would offer a better form of defense.

"_Crucio!"_ someone yelled, and the only warning Artemis had was the short glimpse of light headed in his direction.

Holly pulled sharply on his hand, sending them both crashing to the floor, and the beam of light missed Artemis by only milimeters. Quickly, Holly shielded, and Artemis followed her lead.

"What would that have done?" she asked in a low voice as they retreated to the wall, without another option.

"_Crucio_ is a torturing curse," Artemis recited as he attempted to calm his breathing. Holly's grip on him tightened. "We've got an advantage," he went on. Her haze appeared to be scanning the room, searching for some way to help. "We're invisible, aren't we?"

"Obviously," Holly said. Artemis was struck with a wave of familiarity. "I'm trying to find an opening. They'll still see us if we're too careless."

"You're starting to sound like me," he commented. He half wanted to let go of her hand - the slipperiness of his was becoming uncomfortable - but the contact was too reassuring to give up. The fours seemed to be intimidated by it; they were currently keeping their distance, although they continued to hum and spark menacingly.

"God help me," Holly muttered. "Okay, Arty, help me out. What do you see?"

He forced his eyes to stray from the fours and focus on the battlefield. "There is a great chance of us becoming caught in the crossfire, even if we go at top speed. We have got to be on high alert at all times. We'll only be able to take out one Death Eater at a time."

"Where do we start?" Holly asked, although it seemed like more of a rhetorical question than anything. Artemis kept an eye out, anyway.

"There," they both whispered at the same time, pointing as if they could see each other's fingers.

Despite not being able to see Holly's face, Artemis knew that she was wearing a grim smile.

They started running.

Minerva was concerned, understandably so, when she took a second to look around and found neither Artemis nor Holly to be anywhere in sight. "_Expelliarmus!"_ she cried, sending the wand of her opponenent flying across the room. Then, immediately after, "_Stupify!"_ and he was down, glassy eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. She bound him with the same spell she'd bound Artemis with, and left him for another enemy.

She had just aimed her wand at another Death Eater, when, without warning, he was flung backwards off his feet, landing head-first on the floor with a sickening _crunch_.

"Still alive," a familiar Irish voice announced from thin air, "although there is likely to be brain damage."

"He won't be missed," Holly's voice said. "C'mon, Arty, let's go." The two of them flickered into visibility momentarily for Holly to wave at McGonagall, before the fairy woman led Artemis away at a run.

A short while later, another Death Eater went down in a similar fashion.

Near Minerva, Harry Potter pushed a pretrified Fenrir off of him and rolled away, gagging.

Another Death Eater approached. Minerva aimed her wand and shouted, "_Stupify!"_ once more.

The corridor was in utter chaos, from Artemis' perspective more than anyone else's. Even without the raging battle, his mind was fighting him every step of the way. He and Holly's method of dispatching Death Eaters became quickly useless, as Artemis was becoming more and more distracted by the fours, which had drifted closer and hung around like ghosts waiting to strike out at him, and was unable to maintain a shield. In a panic, he'd dragged Holly into a relatively safe corner, where he was currently fighting to catch his breath, and stay invisible.

"Arty," Holly was saying. She was clearing trying to be soothing, but her voice was rough from the exersion, and she spoke far too urgently for Artemis' liking. "Artemis, it's okay. Focus on something other than the fours." He flickered briefly into visibility. "Come on, Arty, please." Despite the rest of her currently fear-inducing habits, at least she was making the effort to count her words, for his benefit. That helped, however little.

It seemed impossible to do, but he tried to see past the wall of numbers blocking him, to the ongoing battle. He tried to pick something that wasn't as chaotic as all the rest to focus on. Not Neville, slumped against a wall, breathing raggedly, not Ginny or McGonagall or any of the others that were locked in battle with a masked foe, or the familiar shaggy head of hair belonging to Harry Potter dashing down the corridor-

"What is Harry up to?" Artemis panted, jabbing a shaky finger in the direction of the quickly disappearing figure.

Holly followed his direction, and took his hand once more. "I am thinking it's something he shouldn't be up to," she surmised. "Are you planning on investigating?" Two pairs of blue and hazel eyes met. Artemis swallowed, then nodded.

"It must be better than remaining here," he said. "Come on, Holly." It took a minute of focus, and gathering up his strength, but he straightened up, tightened his grip on his best friend's hand, and made a run for it.

Although he held his breath until they'd passed the fours, pass them they did, and it became easier to keep going, even though Artemis knew, in the very forefront of his mind, that the numbers were following.

He doubted Harry was going off anywhere even resembling _safe_, but maybe it would be better than the mind-scattering disorder of the corridor, if only slightly.

Artemis could hope.

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><p><strong>If you had all banded together to form an angry mob by now, I wouldn't blame you. I suck at updating, I know, and this chapter was short, and probably not very satisfactory to you all, in the grand scheme of things, but, well, it's an update.<strong>

**Other stuff -**

**1. Shameless self-promoting here. I have a Doctor Who one-shot called _Ghosts_ up now, primarily featuring Clara, and I would appreciate some feedback from you guys, so if you're in the Doctor Who fandom, or even if you're not, it would be great if you could check it out. :) Thank you.**

**2. I'm in the Muser Panic Station Cheesefest video! Look it up on YouTube, if you're for some reason interested in that. I'm the one with the pink boa, frizzy hair, and the hula hoop. Be prepared for my rad (read: terrible) dancing skills, if you do decide to check it out.**

**Um, I think that's it. I'll try to update more regularly, but we've all seen how that turns out. *gesture to current situation* ...Yeah. Well, I'll try.**

**Before I go - SUPERNATURAL FEELINGS SOMEONE HELP *fetal position* Maybe I'll do a Supernatural one-shot? Yeah idk.**

**I'll do my best for a new chapter in the next week or two.**

**Cheers!**


	19. Chapter 19: Chase

**Woohoo! Here it is, at last, at last. No words to describe how deeply sorry I am, and how deeply thankful that you've all stuck with me. I've also already started the next chapter, so never fear. That one should be up soon as well. :)**

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><p>Despite all of the encouragement he'd received, Artemis had never made good on his various promises to Butler that he would at least try to get into shape. And now, sprinting after Harry Potter, chest burning unbearably and legs wobbly, he regretted it, as he did every time he found himself in one of these situations. Holly, to her credit, put up with him quite well, egging him on whenever necessary, tugging a little bit harder on his arm when he started to lag behind.<p>

Harry, fortunately, was oblivious to their presence, too caught up in whatever he was pursuing to notice them pounding along rather noisily behind him. If he showed any sign of noticing them anyway, it was lost in the thud of feet on stone, and their ragged breaths.

Artemis and Holly found themselves exploding out the front doors behind Harry, but quickly losing ground as he sped on and they stumbled behind.

"Artemis," Holly bit out around gasps, "come on, come on-"

It was clear now what exactly Harry had been going after, as spells lit up the night - even from a distance Artemis could tell that Snape was there, with a few others, running towards the forest desperately.

A spell soared past them. If it had been a bullet, it likely would have grazed Holly's ear, and maybe even Artemis' as well. As it was, Artemis felt the heat of the spell against his face as it whipped by, and reflexively pulled away.

The entire world rolled, and went on rolling even as Artemis righted himself. Nearby, Harry was shouting a spell, and two Death Eaters - who had apparently been following closely behind - toppled over one another and were still.

"Holly?" he rasped through a gasp-torn throat, and righted himself with some effort. He found as he got to his feet that his shield had been disrupted, and he was now fully visible.

With an audience.

Even as Harry stumbled to his feet, he was staring distrustfully, wiping ineffectively at the fresh blood pouring from his nose. He began to turn around, evidently deciding Artemis wasn't worth his time quite yet, when Artemis' view of the situation was suddenly upset by a small explosion directly behind him, which sent him flying forward.

Artemis was sure he cracked several ribs as he landed, although the pain may have just been caused by the fact that he could no longer breathe properly.

"Oh Frond," he wheezed, rolling onto his back and squirming as he tried to adjust to the pain and lack of air. Blue sparks scampered frantically over his chest. Fours began making an appearance once more, regretfully, on the edges of his vision. "This happens way too often," he half-coughed, not sure if he was referring more to his mental or physical states. Two small hands abruptly seized his lapels and began dragging him upright, despite his hacking.

"Arty, come on, breathe," Holly urged. She fizzled into visibility then, allowing him to catch her urgent expression. "We gotta go, remember?" She resumed her earlier pulling.

"We should stay shielded," Artemis recommended, still struggling for breath as they stumbled along. Holly's hair was wild now, even more so than before, and her face smudged with grass stains and dirt. Artemis thought he probably looked no better. "Otherwise we'll likely become targets."

Without argument, she followed his advice, and the two made their way invisibly on, although neither had any delusions that they would catch up anymore.

"We can get away," Artemis suddenly said, stopping and nearly pulling Holly down. He imagined she was staring at him. "No one is paying us any mind anymore. We could slip away and no one would know until after the fact."

The battle raged on around them. Artemis heard screams, the frantic shouting of spells. A couple of Death Eaters raced past them several meters away, wands at the ready. A couple of Hogwarts students followed, white-faced and stumbling and young. Ahead, Harry was at last nearly upon Snape and the others with him. Fire cast the night in orange. Artemis saw fours dancing around in the chaos, hovering and sparking.

"We could," Holly said. Her hands still solidly gripped him. She was as out as breath as he was.

Artemis thought of returning home. He thought of Butler and Juliet, and how the twins would squeal and jump on him as he entered the front doors at last. He thought of his parents. He would get more pills, be able to deal with his condition, at least until he finally had the magic drained away. Holly would stay and help him get through the withdrawal he was imagining, and she would remind him to give her a call once and a while, and then she would go. Normal activities would resume. Foaly would keep trying to hack Fowl Manor's security cameras. Artemis would continue to shut him down. Things would be calm. At least until the next crisis hit.

"Do you want to?" Holly asked. Slowly, her grip loosened.

"DON'T CALL ME COWARD!" a voice unmistakably Snape's roared. Lights flashed.

"Yes," Artemis admitted. His suit felt large now, in some way. As if he'd tried on his father's suit and decided to parade around in it for the day, just to feel like an adult. "I very much want to." He felt rather than saw Holly turn her head as she searched for a safe direction to head in. "But I...am planning on staying, I think."

She whipped to face him. He felt the breeze she created as she turned.

"I'm a student here now, I suppose," he hastily added. "It's my duty, partially, to look after Hogwarts until the time of my departure."

"You wouldn't have said that a few years ago," Holly rasped.

"No, probably not. But I was a bit-"

"Cowardly?"

"Yes. Sure."

"And selfish?"

"...That as well."

"And cruel?"

"...That could be accurate, although I think you might be going a little far-"

Holly, with plenty of stretching on her part, and a little bit of confused bending on Artemis', reached her hands to his face, and roughly kissed him on the cheek. "I guess you're growing up," she said, a bit of a warble in her voice.

Then they were running again, before Artemis could process what had just happened. The fours looming in on them vanished suddenly when the friends were faced with a strange scene indeed - a hippogriff, flapping great wings and bearing incredibly sharp talons directly over the heads of Snape and the retreating Death Eaters.

They were too late.

A white light flashed, and Harry was again thrown to the ground. Holly kept running, Artemis at last managing to keep pace, trembling with adrenaline. They were almost upon the Death Eaters now, finally overtaking Harry, who was now sitting up and feeling around in the dark for his wand, and Artemis felt Holly tear her hand away and leap-

A crack sounded, and the elf hit the ground with a thud, her targets vanished.

She said a very impolite word, becoming visible again, and rolled over onto her back to stare at the smoke-tarnished sky exhaustedly.

The adrenaline left abruptly, and Artemis sat heavily in the grass a few feet away from his friend. They'd failed. They hadn't been any help at all. Artemis' newfound bravery had been for nothing, after all.

"Hagrid?" Harry called behind them, raggedly. Artemis remembered he was still invisible, and Holly was dark enough to blend into the night easily. "Hagrid?" Harry called again. Shuffling noises accompanied him this time. Artemis blearily turned to see Harry stumbling towards the gigantic flame that had once been Hagrid's house, and felt a stab of horror.

A large figure emerged, carrying a squirming large something in its arms.

"Harry!" the figure yelled, and it was Hagrid. Artemis relaxed, and laid back as Holly had. The stars were dimmed by smoke, but he considered himself fortunate to have been able to see them at all. Harry and Hagrid talked for a few moments, but their voices blurred into indistinct noises as Artemis simply focused on his breathing. Even his shield failed shortly after.

"Arty?" Holly said, and Artemis realized she'd moved closer at some point. "You okay?"

"I believe so. Are you?"

"Yeah." They glanced at each other, faces smoke-smeared and pale, eyes shining almost unnaturally in the dark. And then Holly giggled.

Artemis frowned. "Why are you laughing? Or is this just a stress response?"

Holly forcefully quieted herself, although she was still grinning absurdly. "Probably a little," she admitted. "But, uh...you've got a..." she gestured to the space in between her eyebrows. "Looks like you have a unibrow," she said, and snickered.

Artemis rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile, even as he wiped at the space she'd indicated. Holly hauled herself upright, and helped Artemis do the same, and they stood on wobbly legs, looking blankly back and forth between the flaming house and the oppressive darkness of the forest.

"What now?" Holly asked.

"I guess it's time to go face the wizarding world again," Artemis half-sighed. "You could leave now, if you wanted. It might be wise. Keep yourself from being poked or prodded at."

"As much as I'd like to, no." Holly punched him in the arm. "I'm not gonna desert you now, Mud Boy. We're in this together."

Holding the spot where she'd hit him, Artemis smiled faintly, and they started walking.

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><p><strong>Since today is Thanksgiving, I would like to say that I am thankful for all of you today, and your support and love for this story. You guys are amazing. There should only be a couple more chapters to go.<br>**

**Thankfully, also, I've found my inspiration for this story again. Part of the reason I spent so long without writing was because my inspiration had run off. But I've found it again, and I remember why I started writing this in the first place. :) :)**

**For all my American readers, happy Thanksgiving, I hope you have a good time today. Enjoy your turkey, and pie, and stuffing. And for my non-American readers, happy holidays to you as well. **Only a few more weeks of school until winter break. That's what's keeping me hanging on lol.****

****Thank you all again. See you in a few weeks (hopefully sooner) for chapter 20!****


	20. Chapter 20: Coming Down

**And another one! Longer than most of the more recent ones. I'm not sure how happy I am with it, but it's at least decent. Up a bit later than hoped because I went to a thespian festival for the weekend and couldn't bring my writing with me. But I had a good time, and I'm not horribly late either! *confetti*  
><strong>

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><p>Harry and Hagrid worked together to put out the fire that had once been Hagrid's hut. Harry couldn't be sure about Hagrid, but by the time he'd lowered his wand, the fire gone to nothing but smoke and hissing, he felt exhausted. Almost hollow even, drained and empty.<p>

The feeling only worsened when he heard the rustle of feet shuffling on grass, and turned to see none other than Artemis Fowl, striding alongside a very short woman Harry'd never seen before, coming towards them from the direction of the forest.

The two seemed to be made entirely of ash and blood and sweat. Even Artemis' fine suit, which Harry suspected the boy cared about more than his own life, was ripped and dirtied. They looked as tired as Harry was, no better off, but Harry saw the barest hint of a smile on Artemis' face, and he hated him more than ever in that moment. How could anyone be happy at all, when Dumbledore was dead? When his murderer had escaped? When who knew who else was dead inside the castle? What about Ron and Hermione? What about Ginny?

"Harry?" Hagrid prompted, setting one of his giant hands on Harry's shoulder. "Are yeh all righ'?"

Wordlessly, Harry shook his head. He felt at his nose, which had now started to hurt again, with the excitement of the chase gone.

"O' course not," Hagrid mumbled sheepishly. "Silly question."

Harry stayed silent, watching Artemis and the woman approach. They walked slowly, as if uncertain of their footing.

"Anythin' I can do ter 'elp?" Hagrid asked. His eyes shone earnestly out of his ash-smeared face.

"No," Harry said. He trembled, and fought off nausea. "There's nothing you can do." He rubbed a hand over his face, probably smudging it with black, but not caring.

"Everything okay here?" It was the woman. Now that she was closer, Harry could make out her huge ears - pointed, tall enough to almost be mistaken for short antennas on the top of her head. "Is the fire out?"

"Yeah, we got it 'andled," Hagrid told her, almost proudly. "An' 'oo 'er you, if I may?"

"Cap - er, Holly Short," she greeted. She smiled awkwardly at them, a grim little smile that spoke of exhaustion and little else. "I assume you know Artemis?"

"Yes," Harry cut in. His hostility must have come through, because her expression stiffened.

"Right," she said slowly. "Why don't we just go inside? If everything's all taken care of." She shot a look at Artemis, who had started rubbing at his forehead and looking pained. "I think it might be a good idea to sit down."

Although questions burned at Harry's mind, his wobbly legs demanded a break, and even while his brain churned, it felt as if it was operating only through sheer stubbornness. Sitting down sounded like an excellent idea. He could worry about everything else later, once he'd sat down. He could worry about his friends, about his teachers, about his injuries. He could worry about Dumbledore. He could worry about-

He started walking, with Hagrid following closely behind, and Holly and Artemis off to his left.

The walk back to the castle passed in a haze of sore muscles and aching eyes. Harry only started paying attention again when Hagrid announced, "Look. What're they all lookin' a'?" Indeed, a crowd of people had gathered at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower, standing solemnly and staring. Those in pale pajamas or nightgowns looked like ghosts in the darkness. Harry could hardly stand to look at it, yet he found his head immobile.

"It's probably a body," Artemis announced gravely. "Perhaps it's best we avoid it for now."

Hagrid shook his head. "Blimey. Wonder 'oo it is?"

In an instant, without warning, Harry's voice returned to him, and the words spilled out. "It's Dumbledore."

Silence met him at first, and then Hagrid's near-whimper. "Wha'? No. No, it can't be."

Harry resumed walking, although now at both an adjusted pace and direction. The others followed him silently, seemingly stunned. The crowd, upon spotting them, hastily parted, likely to give Hagrid some space. Their faces were drawn, Harry noted dimly, and afraid. They became even more so when Hagrid actually did whimper now, and bury his face in his hands.

Dumbledore looked peaceful, Harry thought. He had never noticed the stress on his headmaster's face until now, when all worry was smoothed from it. It might have been comforting, maybe should have been, but he found he could only feel disturbed, and still like something precious had been torn from him for no reason at all.

The whole crowd stood as if cast in stone for several moments, Harry and Hagrid slightly closer to the body than anyone else, with Artemis and Holly directly behind them. There was no wind. No sound of any creatures on the school grounds, no voices. Only the almost-inaudible breathing of the observers.

Then, "Let me through," Artemis demanded. He sounded stern, determined.

Without thinking, Harry stepped aside so the other boy could move closer. Holly squeezed through, too, and caught Artemis' arm before he could reach Dumbledore's still form.

"Ar-"

"I have to try," the boy interrupted. "Otherwise I might as well just have left. Do you not agree?" His eyes were shards in the moonlight, his mouth just a gash in his face.

"There's nothing you can do," Holly whispered. "Trust me. I know what I'm talking about."

For the first time in the time that Harry had known Artemis Fowl II, he actually looked like a human being. There was real desperation on his face, and a real fear as well.

The boy pulled away, and knelt by the headmaster's body. The situation finally registered in Harry's mind enough for him to feel a little outraged. Artemis had not even known Dumbledore. What was he doing, demanding to be let through to see the body as if they'd been close friends? As if-

"Heal," Artemis whispered. And then again. "Heal."

Bewilderingly, Harry saw sparks. Blue and tiny, they skittered down the Irish boy's arms, down his hands, his fingers, until they reached Dumbledore's face and abruptly flickered out.

"Come on," the boy urged, "please. Heal." He said the word again and again, each time with more and more sparks flooding out, only to vanish upon making contact with the body. Absurdly, Artemis began feeling for a pulse, still repeating, "heal, heal," until a new voice commanded, "Mr. Fowl, stop."

The mass of students, and Hagrid, all whirled around to gaze at Professor McGonagall, who stood at the edge of the crowd with her wand in hand, as if preparing to remove them from the scene with force if necessary. She looked as bad as any of them, with a few scrapes on her face and smudges of ash on her skin, robes tattered. "All of you," she went on sternly, "go back inside. This isn't-" her voice broke as she finally looked down at Dumbledore's body. "You should not be out here, especially not now."

Slowly, the crowd dispersed, until only Harry, Hagrid, Holly Short, and Artemis remained.

"I'm sorry," Artemis murmured. "I'm afraid I...there's nothing I can do." On his last words, he glanced at Holly, who was sort of squinting at him now, almost suspiciously. Harry figured he probably should be suspicious too, but he couldn't sum up the energy for it.

"I didn't think there was," McGonagall said, although she looked disappointed anyway. "However, I didn't know that you could…" She shook her head. "You all should be inside, too." Harry wanted to argue, wanted to sit himself down in the grass and sit with Dumbledore for a while yet, enjoy a final few moments of peace...but the tears in the professor's eyes persuaded him, and all of them - even Hagrid - followed her into the castle on weary, unsteady feet.

Before they left, however, when no one was paying close attention, Harry grabbed the locket that had fallen from Dumbledore's pocket and stuffed it safely away.

* * *

><p>They lost Hagrid at the entrance, where he stood staring outside for a while as they walked on. Harry figured he wanted some time to himself, so he elected not to call after him. He realized after a moment that McGonagall was leading them towards Madame Pomfrey's, but only as they were nearing it.<p>

"I'm fine," he said before they entered. "I don't need anything."

"Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Potter," the professor said. "All of your friends are in there, waiting. They want to see you."

"Is anyone hurt?" He didn't think he could bear it if anyone else had...if...

"Not very badly," McGonagall said, and Harry almost fell from the relief.

"We should leave you all to it," Holly jumped in before McGonagall could so much as turn the doorknob. "We wouldn't want to intrude. And-" here she cast a look at Artemis. "I think we need to take care of a few things ourselves."

McGonagall held up a hand to stop her from going on. "I think you might want to come inside, Miss Short." Her eyes glinted with the promise of an idea. "I promise we'll hold off on interrogating you for a little while. And you'll get plenty of time later. Is that acceptable?"

The shortest of the group shared a look with Artemis, and then nodded. "Okay, well. As long as we can sit down." She smiled faintly.

A similar smile graced McGonagall's face. "Of course."

As soon as they'd walked inside, Harry was rushed upon by Ginny, who immediately enveloped him in a hug and said, "Oh, Harry." Hermione came right after her and followed suit. Even Lupin came forward, looking anxious but relieved.

"Is everyone okay?" Harry asked. "Who's hurt?"

Ginny gave him a watery look. "Neville, but he's...he's okay." She gestured to a bed, where the aforementioned boy was laying, twisted up in his sheets and fast asleep. "And...Bill." She wiped at her nose. "He...it's pretty bad."

Harry's stomach dropped. "Oh. What happened? Is he...?"

"He'll be fine." Hermione spoke this time. "But. Madame Pomfrey said he might never...he won't look the same. And we aren't sure what other effects may come up."

"What happened?" Harry repeated.

"Greyback," Ginny whispered. "He wasn't all the way transformed yet, so we aren't sure what'll happen but...Bill was clawed up pretty badly."

Lupin nodded. "We aren't sure whether or not he'll be a full werewolf. But he'll live."

"Oh," said Holly suddenly. "I see."

The room turned to look at her, those that hadn't yet met her frowning. Ginny's expression turned even grimmer when she noticed Artemis was there as well.

"Yes," McGonagall verified. "I thought you would understand."

* * *

><p>Ron sat by the boy Bill's bedside - clearly, they were family. Even through all the blood, and whatever greenish poultice Madame Pomfrey had slathered on the wounds, Artemis could see the resemblance. A couple of others were there, too - Luna Lovegood and another woman, the latter with brightly colored hair and a worried expression.<p>

"What exactly is going on?" the tall, skinny man McGonagall had hastily introduced as Lupin asked, face uncertain.

"There's a lot that has to be explained," McGonagall admitted, waving her hands to calm the room, "but now is not the time. First, we have to focus on Bill, and what we can do for him."

The gathered friends looked at each other, evidently uncomfortable. A few questioning murmurs started up. Holly slipped her hand into Artemis' and gave it a squeeze.

McGonagall quieted everyone down once again. "You two," Artemis and Holly, "what do you think of this." On 'this' she motioned to Bill's mangled form.

Holly studied the still figure for a moment, while Artemis tried to keep his stomach from rebelling. He was not usually queasy, but he was tired enough at this point to have lost some of his control, and Orion, though the other was still too weak to form anything resembling words, was putting up a bit of a fuss about the blood. Not to mention Madame Pomfrey's rather disgusting looking concoction.

"I'd say...minimal scarring, at the most," Holly deducted. "I'm not sure about the whole werewolf thing, but the obvious injuries we can do something about. We might be able to lessen the effects, but at this point it's hard to tell."

Again, some glances were cast amongst the room's inhabitants.

"Full disclosure," Holly added, as she pried her hand from Artemis' and cracked her knuckles, "I've got about half a tank left. That should be more than enough, especially with Artemis helping, but I'm not sure how the werewolf part will affect everything."

Artemis analyzed the magic remaining in his system. He'd wasted a lot of it on attempting to revive Dumbledore, but he still had a fair amount left. About the same as Holly, probably just a little bit more. "We have about a full tank between us," he told her. "Perhaps just a little more than that."

She blinked at him. And then frowned. "I guess it's too late to nag you about responsibility," she said tightly, "but just then I counted fifteen words." She poked him sharply in the ribs. "Earlier, ten. Please don't tell me-"

"Later," he interrupted, glancing at their audience. All of them were sort of squinting at them now, mouths no more than tight lines. "Let's do this first."

Holly briefly closed her eyes, apparently gathering herself. "Fine. You're right. We have to focus. You go on that side, I'll stay on this one." They each moved down towards Bill's head, on opposite sides of the bed and stared for a moment. The watching wizards moved around to accommodate them, although they did it slowly, as if waiting for them to strike out or somehow harm the injured man.

"We should each focus on one area," Artemis said. "Chest or head?"

"Head." They moved to their assigned spots, hands hovering over the injuries, and Holly announced, "On three. One, two-"

They both breathed 'heal' at the same moment. Someone - or maybe several people - inhaled sharply as the sparks appeared. Artemis let the magic flow naturally, and felt a tension run out of him as the sparks didn't immediately flicker out upon touching Bill, but sunk into his skin to begin knitting together the terrible slashes he'd acquired. Holly, with her hands on Bill's cheeks, had her eyes screwed tightly shut with focus. Her face was lit eerily in blue.

Artemis watched the cuts sew themselves shut, one by one, only the very faintest of lines left to indicate there had ever been anything there at all. But even when the body seemed to be repaired, the sparks kept flooding in. Within a matter of seconds, Bill's upper body seemed to be almost encased in blue light. When Holly had finished on her injuries, a true shield of blue formed over the older boy, obscuring his features almost entirely.

Artemis noticed the dizziness only when Orion piped up with an unhappy noise, like being awakened from a long sleep.

The sparks warped, slowly at first, then faster and faster, twisting grotesquely, moving Bill's body with them. They moved as one, like a single blue creature, sparking and hissing, making themselves different, new, disturbingly now looking almost like a certain number that he should not have been thinking about, not now, when Bill's life was on the line, when they were all depending on him.

_It is not real_, he reminded himself. _It's only the Complex. Think beyond it. Think of something else._

His hands began to burn.

The sparks weakened as Holly took her hands away, and Artemis followed immediately after, nursing his still-burning hands as they both staggered away from their patient.

Their audience at first seemed to stunned to move, still watching the two for a moment before turning to crowd around Bill, evidently storing their questions away until they were certain no harm had been done.

"Hey," Holly whispered, "hey. You all right?" She pulled on his sleeves to catch his attention. "Don't space out on me, Mud Boy." She slapped his cheek until it stung.

"I'm fine," he managed, pushing her hand away. "Please don't hit me. I'm fine. Are you?"

She left him alone long enough to swipe a hand over her face and sigh, until she was pulling his hands apart to examine them. "I'm just tired. It's not everyday we try to heal a werewolf, you know. Did you hurt your hands?"

"I think...probably not. It's a little hard to tell."

The Captain gave him a searching look. "They look okay to me. But I think you should sit. Are you dizzy?"

He thought about saying "just a little" or "somewhat" or even flat out denying it, but he doubted he would get away with it. He suspected Holly was only asking out of courtesy, anyway. "Yes."

The elf half pushed him to an empty bed, and watched him intently until he levered himself up and sat on the edge of it. She took the one opposite it and assumed a similar position.

"How likely is it that he becomes a werewolf now?" Artemis asked lowly, once the wizards had begun whispering amongst themselves and were too busy to listen in.

"Pretty unlikely, at this point," Holly replied through an exhausted yawn. "You saw all of that magic we used. If they weren't sure in the first place, by now it's unlikely anything too noticable will happen. It's hard to know until he wakes up, though. And the full moon's going to be another story. I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on it."

Artemis turned his head to watch as Ginny ran a hand through her brother's hair, every once and a while tracing where the injuries had been just a few minutes earlier. Ron looked on blankly, with Harry and Hermione on either side of him. Everyone else kept a respectful distance, faces tiredly hopeful with the exception of Luna Lovegood, who was beaming unabashedly. For the moment, caught in relief, they'd forgotten about Artemis and his fairy friend.

Vowing to relish the peace while it lasted, Artemis covered his face with his hands, closing his eyes, and breathed deeply until his heart stopped pounding so desperately.

* * *

><p><strong>My estimate of when this story will end has changed by about a chapter or so. Another two left, three at the very most. I almost can't believe it! I've been working on this (admittedly on and off lol) for so long it feels like just another part of my life now.<br>**

**I believe this story will be finished by the end of the year, if not sooner (at the rate I'm going now, I'd say more likely the latter :D). Again, thank you all. I'd appreciate your feedback on these last few chapters more than ever, so I know that I'm ending it on the right note.  
><strong>

**Additionally, I'm making plans to do some cleaning on this story once it's finished, to fix a few plot holes/other glaring mistakes I've found since my return. So I suggest even after this story is finished you check back every once and a while. And if you find anything now that you want to make sure I take care of when I do my cleaning, make sure to mention it so I can put it on my list.**

**Chapter 21 isn't done yet, but I should be able to get it finished by the end of the week. It might end up going up a little later than that because of editing and general life business, but certainly before winter break starts. (As a side note: it's almost Christmas! Which means...well. Not sure what's going to happen with that yet, but...something.)**

**There was also a whole 'nother little section of this chapter that I cut a few hours after writing it because it didn't feel right. However, it had a couple of my favorite lines so I thought I would share lol.**

_ "...As you've probably noticed, we aren't...like you."_

_"That opening was a bit clumsy," Artemis muttered. "Next you'll be saying you aren't like other girls."_

**Idk it was just kind of satisfying for me. Maybe I'll find a way to work it in :)**

**So long for now, lovelies!**


	21. Chapter 21: (Almost) The End

**Sorry about the delay. Last couple weeks of school were absolutely nuts. It's not super long, and I didn't really get to look it over very well, but here's Chapter 21. :) Only one to go!**

* * *

><p>Artemis only realized he'd fallen asleep when he became aware of the chirping of birds, and opened his eyes to the weak light of early morning. At some point he'd been maneuvered into lying down, with a thin blanket tossed over him and a pillow to cushion his head. Thankfully, no one had taken it upon themselves to change him into sleeping clothes - besides his shoes, which had been removed and placed on the floor by the bed - he was just as he had been when he'd fallen asleep...whenever that had been.<p>

The room was utterly silent except for the singing birds and the heavy breathing of the dead to the world. As he sat up he saw Holly sprawled on the bed beside him, snoring almost silently. The unmistakable flame of hair belonging to Ginny was splayed across Bill's chest where she'd laid her head. She looked to be in a very uncomfortable position, crunched up in a hospital chair, craning awkwardly over her brother. Ron was snoring on obliviously in a chair right next to his sister, head lolling. The two beds nearest them were occupied, but they looked like no more than lumps in the dim light.

He thought perhaps he should wake Holly, but her stillness and the bags under her eyes dissuaded him.

With effort, he silently lowered himself to the floor and pulled his shoes on. Despite his great care to be quiet he hadn't been too terribly successful - the bed was creaky, and he couldn't deny he'd done a fair bit of pained groaning when met with sore muscles - but nobody in the room so much as stirred. Even Madame Pomfrey was nowhere to be found.

Artemis slipped out of the room.

The corridors of Hogwarts were surprisingly empty; not a student in sight. By the angle of the sun beaming through the windows, Artemis guessed they'd all been corralled into the Great Hall for breakfast. Sure enough, when he passed the room to check, he heard the great rumble of voices - although, not as energetic as was usual, likely due to last night's events. He didn't have to imagine what they'd be saying. He already knew.

Before breakfast was released, he fled to the Gryffindor dormitory, his steps unnaturally loud on the stone. The Fat Lady didn't question him, hardly looked at him when she let him in. In the common room, the fireplace was empty.

Incredibly, or maybe not so incredibly, nothing had changed in the room he shared with Harry and the others. The majority of the beds - not his, of course - were unmade and messy. Suitcases were opened, with the contents spilling out. Homework was left on the beds or the floors, quills lying haphazardly around. It was slightly maddening, but also...familiar. Not at all pleasant, but bearable now.

Artemis cast his ruined suit away with relish, although he still folded it up. He doubted it would be salvageable but he would at least try. His shoes he discarded too. Those he had no hope for, as they were still waterlogged, and stained almost beyond recognition. He peeled off the socks they'd dampened as well, shivering at the touch of his bare feet on the floor.

He pulled a fresh suit from his pristinely kept trunk - one of the more casual ones he owned, since today would definitely not be a day for important meetings that demanded his finest dress - and dressed himself. He sorely needed a shower, but he dared not take up more time than need be. He wasn't sure how much longer he had until breakfast was released, and confronting his peers was an appalling thought.

At last, he was down only to his shoes, tie, and suit jacket. He picked up his back-up pair of shoes and pulled them on, nearly sighing at the feel of dry feet. It was unexpectedly enjoyable, he found, to be clad in new clothes and experiencing at least some kind of morning freshness, even if his mouth still tasted foul and his hair remained ratty and disgusting.

Naturally, the next step was the gold and maroon striped Gryffindor tie. One did not put a suit jacket on before a tie. It just wasn't the way things were meant to be done, at least not in the Fowl family. From a young age, Artemis had been taught how to put on a suit. He knew these things like his own name and birthday. How to behave at a nice family dinner; how to conduct a proper negotiation with hardened criminals and average businessmen alike; how to hide one's emotions and speak calmly when under stress; how to put on a suit in the correct order, in the correct manner.

Artemis pulled the jacket over one arm, then the next. He brushed the tie with only the tips of his fingers, tracing the stripes.

I should have been in Ravenclaw, he mused. Or perhaps Slytherin. Maybe that would have been more accurate. The Sorting Hat of course put me here to aid me in my mission, for some reason or another, but...in those houses perhaps I would have belonged.

Despite his recent efforts, and his newfound path on the side of good...

I am not brave.

He left the tie where it lay on the bed and returned to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

><p>It seemed as if the castle itself was slumbering. Students, for the most part, were confined to their dormitories and common rooms, and even those that might otherwise have been tempted to sneak out and do what they pleased stayed put, presumably shocked into behaving. Most of the teachers locked themselves in their offices. The house elves stayed out of sight. Even the world outside the castle seemed subdued - birdsong quieted, campus was left empty.<p>

By the time Artemis had found his way back to Madame Pomfrey's, everyone else had woken up, and were chatting quietly with one another, most still sitting in their beds. Holly almost tackled Artemis when he entered, immediately running over to him to punch him in the arm.

"Mud Boy," she growled, "don't just disappear like that, Frond. I almost had a heart attack. And they wouldn't let me come find you."

"I wasn't gone very long," he protested. "Besides, I only had to change. I was practically wearing rags. My shoes were ruined. You cannot have expected me to sit around in those until you were awake."

"Some warning would have been nice," she grumbled. "After everything that happened, it was a little alarming to wake up and find you gone."

Artemis half-smiled at her. "I appreciate you worrying, Captain."

She punched him again, but her face was red. "Shut up, Fowl."

Minerva McGonagall bustled into the room then, nearly barrelling the two over in her rush. "Oh, Merlin," she huffed. "I suggest you don't stand - oh, it doesn't matter. Molly and Arthur will be here any minute!"

Artemis watched relief melt onto faces. Ginny turned to the still-sleeping Bill and carded a hand through his hair. The others smiled and looked vaguely hopeful for the first time since last night.

"Parents, I'm guessing?" Artemis said.

"Yes, the Weasleys'," McGonagall explained. And with a glitter in her eye, she added, "I'm sure they'll want to thank the two of you for your work."

"Ah," Artemis said. "Right." A headache cropped up without warning, and he began rubbing his forehead to banish it.

While the wizards picked up a subdued conversation by Bill's bed, Holly lead Artemis to their two beds and made him sit down.

"How are you doing, Artemis?" He could see she was trying not to be overbearing, but she was still far too somber to put him at ease.

"For now, fine. I can't say how much longer it will last, though. What happened last night?"

Holly gave him a small smile. "Well, after you passed out, I had some explaining to do."

"I hope my absence wasn't a major hinderance."

"Oh, be quiet." Again, she punched him. "I've done plenty of negotiations, Artemis, I know how to handle myself."

"Yes, of course. That wasn't what I was referring to. I simply believe it doesn't exactly reflect well on us if one is unconscious for the discussion."

Holly's expression turned mischievous. "Actually, it might have helped. I think we got a bit more pity than we would have normally."

"Ah, the pity card," Artemis mused. "Not one I usually play, but acceptable."

"So anyway, they aren't sure what the next step will be. Minerva said she should probably take this to the Ministry of Magic, whatever that is, but she didn't seem very sure about it. So I don't know yet. But we're going to have to get in touch with Haven before we do anything else."

"Have they agreed to let us do that?"

Holly sighed. "Not yet. Last night, they said they'd need time to think it over. They haven't brought it up yet, so I guess we'll have to wait a little longer."

"They'll have to let us go at some point."

"Yeah," Holly agreed, though she looked downcast.

At that precise moment, two things happened.

Firstly, the Hospital Wing door again burst open, now not revealing McGonagall, but instead a very flustered, red-cheeked, red-haired couple.

The second thing was that Artemis spotted a strange sort of glimmer in the air outside the window.

At the same time the newly arrived woman exclaimed, "How is he?" Artemis calmly said, though his heart was pounding, "there's someone outside."

* * *

><p><strong>Last chapter might be a little later because of the holidays and everything. But hopefully soon! I can't believe we're on the last chapter after all this time. Wow.<strong>

**For the holidays, whatever you're celebrating, I hope you have a good time. And enjoy the time away from school or work or whatever else! :)**

**...And as for my present to you guys, well...I'm not sure yet. I guess that's up to you. :) Give me some suggestions!**

**And remember to review and let me know what you think so I can make the ending perfect!**

**Again, have happy holidays! :) Eat lots of good food for me.**


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